OMISSION. 


Cincinnati,  March  25,  1896, 

Honorable  Board  of  Administration ,  Cincinnati ,  Ohio: 

% 

Gentlemen, —In  making  up  our  report  on  Extension  and  Better¬ 
ment  of  the  City  Waterworks,  March  20th,  an  oversight  occurred  in 
not  calling  your  attention  to  the  Intake  Tower  and  Tunnel  under  the 
Ohio  River  at  California,  compared  with  the  Intake  upon  the  Ohio 
side  of  the  river  at  Markley  Farm  and  Force-main  from  Markley  Farm 
to  Subsiding  Reservoirs  at  California. 

It  was  our  intention  to  include  this  in  the  general  report,  and  the 
omission  was  not  discovered  until  Saturday,  when  the  notes  turned  up 
while  looking  over  the  original  papers  connected  with  the  report,  and 
upon  consultation  with  my  colleagues  it  was  decided  to  present  to  your 
honorable  board  the  following  statement : 

The  cost  of  an  Intake  Tower,  Tunnel,  and  double  line  of  Force- 
main  to  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs  for  the  Intake  on  the  Kentucky  side 
of  the  river  at  California  would  be  $384,067.25  (Appendix  H).  The 
cost  of  a  double  line  of  Force-main  from  the  Low-service  Pumping- 
station  at  Markley  Farm  to  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs  at  California 
would  be  $477,112.16  (Appendix  I).  The  difference  in  cost  in  favor 
of  the  Intake  Tower  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river  at  California 
and  brick-lined  tunnel  (12  feet  diameter)  under  the  river  to  the  Low- 
service  Pumping-station  on  the  Ebersole  Farm  and  a  double  line  of 
Force-main  from  the  Low-service  Pumping-station  to  the  Subsiding 
Reservoirs  would  be  $93,044.91. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  'the  location  of  the  Low-service  Pumping- 
station  at  Markley  Farm  brings  all  the  works,  including  the  water 
intake,  upon  the  Ohio  side  of  the  river,  and  within  the  limits  of  Ham¬ 
ilton  County,  we  believe  it  advisable,  notwithstanding  the  difference 
in, cost,  to  place  the  intake  upon  the  Ohio  side  in  preference  to  the 
Kentucky  side. 

Hoping  you  will  pardon  this  omission  in  our  report,  which  was 
altogether  unintentional,  I  remain 

Very  respectfully, 

JOHN  W.  HILL, 

President  Engineer  Commission. 


Excerpt  from  Resolutions  adopted  by  the  Honorable  Board  of  Adminis¬ 
tration  of  the  City  of  Cincinnati ,  December  21,  1895,  appointing 
an  Engineer  Commission  on  Extension  and  Betterment  of  the  City 
Waterworks : 

Resolved ,  That  competent  engineers  be  appointed  by  this 
board  to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  subject  of  enlarging  and 
extending  the  present  waterworks  of  the  city;  such  engineers  to 
proceed  with  such  investigations,  having  in  view  an  enlarged 
capacity  of  works,  combined  with  a  quality  of  water  which  will 
satisfy  the  requirements  of  the  most  advanced  hygienic  regula¬ 
tions  for  potable  water ;  said  plans  to  be  developed  upon  lines 
which  will  conform  to  the  modern  requirements  for  economic  and 
convenient  operation,  durability,  and  practical  utility  as  a  whole 
as  well  as  in  detail,  and  be  submitted  with  full  details  as  to 
manner,  method  of  construction,  time  to  be  .occupied  in  such 
•construction,  as  well  as  its  cost,  and  the  capacity  and  quality  of 
water  to  be  furnished,  and  the  cost  of  operating  after  construction ; 
and  be  it  further 

Resolved ,  That  said  engineers  be  directed  to  investigate  and 
report  upon  sources  of  supply  other  than  the  Ohio  River  which 
may,  in  their  opinion,  be  capable  of  meeting  the  requirements  of 
the  city  in  quantity  and  quality,  and  which  may  be  regarded  as 
practical  sources  for  the  present  and  future  needs  of  the  city,  and 
worthy  of  consideration  by  this  board ;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved ,  That  John  W.  Hill  of  Cincinnati  (Ohio),  Samuel 
Whinery  of  Cincinnati  (Ohio),  and  Geo.  H.  Benzenberg  of 
Milwaukee  (Wis.)  be  and  they  are  hereby  appointed  as  such 
engineers,  and  that  they  be  directed  to  submit  the  results  of  their 
investigations  and  their  report  in  full  for  the  consideration  of  the 
board  not  later  than  March  20,  1896. 


Report  of  the  Engineer  Commission, 


To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Administration,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

Gentlemen,  —  The  Commission  of  Engineers  appointed 
December  21,  1895,  under  a  resolution  of  your  honorable  body, 
to  investigate  and  report  upon  plans  for  the  extension  and 
betterment  of  the  City  Waterworks  herewith  present  for  your 
consideration  the  following  report: 

The  first  step  in  a  work  of  this  character,  when  no  specific 
instructions  are  given  with  reference  to  the  population  to  be 
supplied  with  water,  is  to  estimate  from  such  data  as  may  be 
obtainable  the  probable  population  which  will  depend  for  its 
water-supply  upon  the  city  mains  at  the  end  of  a  given  term 
of  years. 

After  an  estimate  has  been  made  of  the  probable  population 
to  be  supplied  by  the  works  at  the  end  of  the  period  selected  for 
the  purpose,  the  next  step  is  the  determination  of  the  probable 
average  daity  per  capita  consumption  of  water  by  this  estimated 
population.  Having  the  population  and  per  capita  daily  con¬ 
sumption,  the  average  daily  consumption  of  water  becomes  the 
product  of  these  two  factors. 

In  regard  to  the  population  to  be  supplied,  it  has  been  the 
experience  of  several  of  the  largest  cities  of  this  country,  when 
similar  problems  have  been  under  discussion,  to  underestimate 
this  factor,  the  ratio  of  growth  of  population  frequently  being 
greater  than  that  deduced  from  the  previous  censuses  of  such 
cities. 

The  growth  of  populations  does  not  always  follow  mathe¬ 
matical  laws.  If  it  did,  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  estimating 
from  its  previous  rate  of  growth  the  probable  population  of  any 


/ 


p  \  ^  "5 


4 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


city  at  the  end  of  any  given  interval  of  time.  Certain  factors 
which  may  have  influenced  the  rate  of  growth  in  the  past  may 
cease  to  exist  in  the  future,  and  causes  now  unsuspected  may 
materially  affect  the  growth  in  decades  to  come.  While  mathe¬ 
matical  rules  may  be  applied  to  determine  the  population  of 
cities  and  countries,  some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  proba¬ 
ble  deviations  from  the  results  so  obtained. 

The  period  of  time  upon  which  the  proposed  improvements  in 
the  city  waterworks  are  based  has  been  taken  as  forty  years,  and 
from  curves  projected  by  the  method  of  least  squares,  with  data 
deduced  from  the  population  of  the  city  and  Hamilton  county 
for  the  past  five  decades,  1840-90,  it  appears  that  the  population 
of  the  city  of  Cincinnati  in  1936,  or  forty  years  from  this  date, 
will  be  646,000.  Of  this  population  it  is  estimated  that  a  portion 
will  be  obtained  from  annexation  of  the  suburban  villages,  some 
of  which  now,  and  perhaps  for  all  time,  can  be  supplied  with 
water  for  domestic  purposes  and  fire  protection  at  less  cost  from 
small  waterworks  which  they  now  have  than  by  extension  to 
them  of  the  city  mains  when  they  become  parts  of  the  city 
proper. 

After  careful  consideration  of  the  population  which  will  or 
may  be  supplied  from  these  small  outlying  waterworks,  and  all 
the  other  conditions  involved,  it  appears  to  your  Commission 
that  a  reasonable  estimate  of  the  city  population  which  in  1936 
will  be  drawing  its  water-supply  from  the  works  herewith  pro¬ 
posed  will  not  vary  largely  from  550,000.  This  estimate  we  re¬ 
gard  as  conservative;  but  should  the  supply  be  found  inadequate, 
the  capacity  of  the  works  can  be  readily  increased  to  meet  the 
demand,  while  if  provision  is  made  now  for  a  larger  capacity 
than  will  be  necessary  at  the  end  of  the  period  chosen,  it  would 
mean  not  only  an  unnecessary  expenditure  now,  but  interest  on 
the  additional  amount  thus  invested. 

In  estimating  the  daily  consumption  of  water  by  any  large 
community  due  consideration  should  be  given  to  the  method  of 
assessing  the  rates  for  water.  If  this  is  by  survey,  the  consump¬ 
tion  will  usually  be  large,  and  if  by  meter,  the  consumption  will 
not  only  be  relatively  low,  but  bear  a  more  just  relation  to  the 
real  requirements  of  the  consumers. 

To  secure  the  best  possible  information  on  the  present  daily 
per  capita  consumption  of  water  from  public  works  in  this 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


5 


country,  inquiry  has  been  made  of  twenty-nine  of  the  largest 
cities  of  the  United  States  for  the  rates  of  consumption  during 
1895.  From  these  it  appears  that  for  the  fifteen  principal  cities 
of  the  country  embraced  in  the  list  (Appendix  A)  the  average 
daily  per  capita  consumption  for  the  past  year  was  124  gallons. 
An  examination  of  the  list  of  cities  from  which  statistics  were 
obtained  reveals  the  interesting  fact  that  in  those,  like  New  York, 
Providence  and  Milwaukee,  where  the  larger  part  of  the  water  is 
furnished  to  consumers  through  meters,  the  per  capita  consump¬ 
tion  is  low,  while  in  cities,  like  Washington,  D.  C.  (which  has 
a  gravity  supply),  that  furnish  water  by  survey  rates  the  per 
capita  consumption  is  usually  high.  But  one  exception  to  this 
condition  is  found  in  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  which  is  furnished 
with  a  gravity  supply,  but  can  not  be  regarded  as  a  metered  city. 
Of  the  fifteen  principal  cities  in  the  list,  the  following,  according 
to  the  last  issue  of  the  Manual  of  Waterworks  Statistics  for  1891, 
are  the  percentages  of  taps  metered  in  each  : 


New  York . . . 

Chicago . 

Philadelphia 
Brooklyn.  . . 
St.  Louis. . . . 

Boston . 

Cleveland  . . . 

Buffalo . 

Washington  . 

Detroit . 

Milwaukee. . 
Minneapolis. 
Providence. . 
St.  Paul 
Louisville. . . 


20.30  per  cent. 
2.53  “ 

.30  “ 

2.53  “ 

8.20  “ 

2.00  “ 

5.80 

.23 


•.26  “ 

.  2.12  “ 

31.90 
6.33  “ 

62.34  “ 

4.21  “ 

5.63  “ 


From  the  last  report  of  the  Water  Department  of  this  city  for 
1894  the  percentage  of  taps  metered  is  shown  to  be  4.6  per  cent- 
A  careful  consideration  of  the  question  of  per  capita  daily 
consumption  indicates  that  with  the  general  introduction  of 
meters  in  this  city  during  the  coming  forty  years  the  average 
daily  per  capita  rate  should  not  exceed  130  gallons. 

With  reference  to  the  use  of  meters,  it  may  be  well  to  state 
that  these  are  not  intended  to  restrict  the  proper  use  of  water  in 
any  city,  hut  to  correct  the  abuse  of  the  water  privilege,  and 
avoid  the  enormous  waste  which  we  know  is  now  occurring  in 
nearly  every  city  where  the  wTater  is  supplied  under  survey  rates. 


6 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


The  same  rule  that  applies  to  the  use  of  gas  from  the  street- 
mains  should  apply  to  the  use  of  water.  The  theory  that  the 
use  of  water  from  the  public  mains  should  be  as  free  as  air  is 
altogether  wrong.  If  the  supply  of  air  to  any  community  re¬ 
quired  that  it  be  pumped,  purified,  and  distributed  as  is  water, 
then  no  one  can  doubt  that  it  also  should  be  subject  to  such 
regulation  as  will  prevent  abuse  of  the  privilege  of  drawing  upon 
the  public  supply. 

The  pumping,  purification,  and  distribution  of  water  repre¬ 
sents  a  large  relative  cost  to  any  community,  and  if  one  person 
is  permitted  to  use  or  waste  large  quantities  at  no  greater  cost  to 
himself  than  to  his  neighbor,  who  is  careful  to  draw  only  so 
much  water  from  the  public  mains  as  may  be  needed  in  the 
proper  supply  of  his  residence,  store,  or  factory,  an  injustice  is 
perpetrated  which  affects  the  whole  water-consuming  population. 

With  the  use  of  meters,  the  present  great  waste  of  water 
through  defective  plumbing  and  connections  would  be  avoided. 
Few  consumers,  if  required  to  pay  for  their  water  by  the  gallon? 
would  tolerate  for  a  day  the  large  loss  which  they  would  have  to 
pay  for  through  neglect  of  bad  connections  and  fittings  in  their 
houses.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  not  likely  that  any  one  would 
forego  the  proper  and  necessary  use  of  water  when  the  cost  to 
him  is  less  than  one  cent  per  hundred  gallons. 

Assuming  that  the  precedent  set  by  certain  other  large  cities 
in  this  country,  in  an  effort  to  prevent  unnecessary  waste  of 
water,  and  which  from  year  to  year  is  being  more  generally 
adopted  throughout  the  country,  can  be,  and  possibly  will  be, 
adopted  by  this  city,  then  we  believe  that  our  estimate  of  130 
gallons  per  capita  per  diem  is  safe  for  the  purpose  of  determining 
the  capacity  of  works  within  the  period  of  time  which  has  been 
taken  for  estimate. 

The  investigations  have  been  conducted  upon  the  basis  of  an 
annual  average  daily  consumption  of  water  of 

550,000X130=71,500,000  gallons, 

with  an  occasional  maximum  daily  consumption  of  one  and 
one-half  times  this  quantity,  or  107,250,000  gallons. 

The  average  daily  consumption  of  water  for  the  year  1894,  as 
shown  by  the  report  of  the  Water  Department,  was  41,355,800 
gallons,  and  the  maximum  daily  consumption  59,214,817  gallons. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


7 


The  purpose  of  the  investigations  with  which  the  Commission 
has  been  charged  by  your  honorable  board  is  disclosed  in  the 
first  and  second  clauses  of  the  resolution  under  which  its  work 
has  been  conducted.  Acting  upon  these,  we  have  pursued  the 
investigations  with  the  following  objects  in  view: 

*  1.  A  source  of  supply  which  at  all  times  will  be  sufficient 
for  a  daily  consumption  of  107,250,000  gallons,  plus  such  addi¬ 
tional  consumption  as  the  growth  of  the  city  and  the  wants  of 
the  consumers  may  demand. 

2.  An  arrangement  of  pumping-stations  and  pumping-ma¬ 
chinery,  which  shall  have  a  capacity  of  from  80,000,000  to  120,- 
000,000  gallons  daily,  so  arranged  as  to  permit  the  enlargement 
of  the  pumping-stations  and  the  increase  of  pumping-machinery, 
as  the  future  may  require. 

3.  The  adoption  of  the  best  type  of  pumping-engines  and 
boilers,  and  the  concentration  in  each  pumping-engine  of  a  rela¬ 
tively  large  capacity,  whereby  the  greatest  economy  in  the  cost 
of  fuel  and  labor  will  be  attained  in  the  pumping  of  water  to  the 
reservoirs. 

4.  Such  treatment  of  the  water,  if  necessary,  as  to  make  it 
comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  highest  practical  standards 
for  purity  in  water  for  domestic  uses. 

5.  An  arrangement  of  the  works,  as  a  whole,  and  in  detail, 
as  simple,  efficient,  and  economic  as  is  consistent  with  the  nat¬ 
ural  conditions  surrounding  the  available  locations  for  the  im¬ 
provements  outlined. 

With  these  objects  in  view,  the  motives  which  have  governed 
the  Commission  in  all  its  work  can  be  grouped  under  these  two 
distinct  heads  : 

1.  The  people  of  Cincinnati,  who  are  both  the  consumers  of 
water  and  the  supporters  of  the  waterworks,  are  entitled  to  a 
quality  of  water  which,  within  practical  means  and  at  a  reason¬ 
able  cost,  shall  equal  the  water  of  any  large  city  in  the  world. 

2.  The  city  of  Cincinnati  is  entitled  to  waterworks  which,  in 
the  character  of  its  pumping-machinery,  reservoirs,  pipe-lines, 
and  all  other  adjuncts  connected  with  the  pumping  and  distrib¬ 
ution  of  water,  shall  be  capable  of  supplying  the  water  required 
in  the  most  efficient  manner  and  at  the  least  cost,  interest  and 
operation  considered. 


8 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


The  Commission  has  investigated  the  several  sources  of  water 
for  the  supply  of  the  city;  has  prepared,  and  presents  with  this 
report,  a  set  of  several  plans,  with  carefully  checked  estimates  of 
cost,  based  upon  known  quantities,  as  far  as  these  were  attainable 
within  the  time  allotted  for  the  work,  and  a  statement  of  the 
probable  time  required  to  construct  and  put  in  operation  the  im¬ 
provements  herein  recommended. 


THE  QUALITY  OF  THE  PRESENT  WATER-SUPPLY. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  discussion  of  the  various  sources  of 
water-supply  and  the  recommendations  which  follow',  the  Com¬ 
mission  deems  it  proper,  in  order  to  demonstrate  the  absolute 
necessity  for  the  extension  and  betterment  of  the  city  Water¬ 
works,  to  direct  your  attention  to  the  condition  and  quality  of 
the  present  supply  and  its  influence  on  the  public  health. 

The  source  of  the  present  water-supply  for  the  city  of  Cincin¬ 
nati  is  the  Ohio  River  within  the  city  limits.  Above  the  Front- 
street  Pumping-station  more  than  four  and  one-half  miles  of 
built-up  territory  extends  to  the  easterly  corporation  line,  from 
which  considerable  of  the  sewage  and  all  surface  drainage  is  dis¬ 
charged  into  the  river  above  the  pumping-station. 

Upon  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river  all  of  the  towns  of  Day- 
ton  and  Bellevue,  and  part  of  the  city  of  Newport,  opposite  the 
easterly  portion  of  Cincinnati,  sewer  and  drain  into  the  Ohio 
River  above  the  pumping-station,  and,  considering  that  the  pres¬ 
ent  water  intake  is  on  the  convex  side  of  the  river,  some  of  this 
sewage  and  drainage  is  doubtless  swept  over  to  the  Ohio  side  by 
the  current  before  it  passes  below  the  pumping-station. 

The  Ohio  River  before  it  reaches  Cincinnati  receives  the 
sewage  and  surface  drainage  from  many  cities  and  villages, 
aggregating  at  the  present  time  a  population  of  over  one  and 
one-half  million  people.  In  these  cities  infectious  diseases  prevail 
sometimes,  possibly  at  all  times,  the  germs  of  which,  directly  or 
indirectly,  come  into  the  Ohio-river  water.  For  five  years  past, 
the  city  of  Pittsburg,  at  the  head  of  the  river,  has  had  the  repu¬ 
tation  of  being  a  typhoid-fever  center,  and  other  cities  and  towns 
of  smaller  populations  upon  the  river  and  its  tributaries,  have 
contributed  their  quota  to  the  annual  loss  of  life  from  this  and 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


9 


other  infectious  diseases.  Notwithstanding  that  to  some  people 
the  statement  that  typhoid  fever  may  be  charged  to  a  polluted 
water-supply  is  vague,  while  others  deny  the  claim  altogether,  it 
is  the  universal  opinion  of  all  investigators  along  this  line  that 
typhoid  fever  is  a  water-carried  disease. 

Some  facts  from  the  table  of  Typhoid-fever  Statistics  (Ap¬ 
pendix  B)  may  be  instructive  upon  this  subject.  The  cities  of 
New  York,  Brooklyn,  Boston,  and  Newark  depend  upon  im¬ 
pounded  water  gathered  in  large  reservoirs  and  carried  in  storage 
for  many  months,  excepting  Brooklyn,  which,  in  addition  to 
impounded  water,  draws  a  portion  of  its  supply  from  driven  wells 
and  several  small  protected  streams.  These  cities  for  the  latest 
given  year  in  the  table  had  typhoid-fever  death-rates  as  follows : 


New  York .  17  per  100,000  of  population. 

Boston  (1894) .  28  “  “ 

Brooklyn . .16  “  “ 

Newark  (1894) .  15  “  “ 


Average  for  the  four  cities. .. .  19  “  “ 

Compare  these  rates  with  those  from  three  cities  taking  their 
water-supply  from  the  Ohio  River  or  its  tributaries: 


Pittsburg  .  77  per  100,000  of  population. 

Cincinnati . .  36  “  “ 

Louisville  .  77  “  “ 


Average  for  the  three  cities.  . .  63  “  “ 

Now,  let  us  turn  to  certain  cities  abroad,  where  sanitary  rules 
are  founded  upon  careful  study  of  all  the  conditions  affecting 
health,  and  their  observance  by  the  municipal  authorities  is 
enforced  by  imperial  law.  The  water-supplies  of  Vienna  and 
Munich  are  the  purest  possible  natural  waters,  from  springs  in 
thinly-populated  mountain  districts,  and  brought  to  these  cities 
at  great  cost  through  aqueducts  and  conduits  many  miles  long. 
The  average  death-rates  by  typhoid  fever  for  these  cities  for  the 
five  years  ending  December  31,  1894,  were  as  follows : 


•  Vienna .  7.0  per  100,000  of  population. 

Munich .  7.1  “  “ 


Excepting  the  year  1893,  when  the  death-rate  of  Munich  rose 
to  15,  the  average  for  that  city  during  the  period  1890-94,  inclu¬ 
sive,  was  only  5.1. 


10 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


It  may  be  urged  that  such  a  water-supply  as  these  cities  pos¬ 
sess  is  not  available  by  the  city  of  Cincinnati  at  any  cost.  This 
is  true ;  but  the  natural  condition  of  the  Ohio  River  can  scarcely 
be  worse  than  that  of  the  river  Elbe  at  Hamburg,  where  it  is 
carrying  the  sewage  of  six  millions  of  people  and  the  urban 
drainage  from  scores  of  cities  and  towns  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
and  its  tributaries.  Hamburg  takes  its  water  from  this  river,  very 
much  as  this  city  takes  its  water  from  the  Ohio  River,  but  instead 
of  pumping  the  polluted  water  to  its  citizens  as  it  comes  from 
the  river,  Hamburg  attempts  to  fit  it  for  domestic  uses  before  it 
is  permitted  to  enter  the  city  mains. 

The  filters  of  Hamburg  were  started  in  1893,  aiid  the  first  full 
annual  return  is  found  in  the  Register  of  Vital  Statistics  of  that 
city  for  1894,  when  the  death-rate  from  typhoid  fever  was  6  per 
100,000  of  population.  Previous  to  the  starting  of  the  Hamburg 
filters  the  average  death-rate  from  typhoid  fever  for  the  several 
years  embraced  by  the  table  was  28,  a  very  low  rate  when  com¬ 
pared  with  the  average  of  American  cities,  and  yet  regarded  so 
high  as  to  justify  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money  for 
what,  at  present,  is  perhaps  the  most  elaborate  combination  of 
subsiding  reservoirs  and  filters  in  Europe. 

It  may  not  be  safe  to  rest  an  argument  for  high  quality  of 
public  water-supplies  upon  the  experience  of  two  or  three  cities, 
because  certain  favorable  conditions  may  exist  in  these  which 
could  not  be  duplicated  in  other  cities.  Your  attention,  there¬ 
fore,  is  respectfully  called  to  certain  other  cities  abroad,  which, 
in  our  opinion,  make  the  conviction  irresistible  that  high  quality 
of  public  water-supplies  goes  hand  in  hand  with  low  typhoid - 
fever  rates. 

The  following  are  death-rates  from  typhoid  fever  for  the  five 
years  ending  December  31,  1894: 

The  Hague  (Holland) . 4.9  per  100,000  of  population. 

Rotterdam  (Holland) . 5.2  “  “ 

Christiania  (Norway) . 6.8  “  “ 

Dresden  (Germany) . 6.9  “  “ 

Copenhagen  (Denmark) ...  7.9  “  “  • 

Berlin  (Germany) . 8.0  “  “ 

The  statistics  already  given  indicate  the  probable  typhoid 
fever  rate  to  be  expected  by  any  large  city  upon  proper  improve¬ 
ment  of  its  public  water-supply  to  the  German  standard.  The 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


11 


possibilities,  however,  are  greater  than  the  rates  just  quoted.  In 
comparison  with  the  lowest  recorded  typhoid  fever  death-rate  for 
Cincinnati — 36  per  100,000  of  population — consider 


The  Hague, 

1890,  with 

a 

rate  of 

3.0  per  100,000  of 

population 

U 

1892, 

a 

a 

4.0 

U 

a 

U 

1893, 

a 

a 

2.0 

•  a 

a 

U 

1894, 

a 

a 

3.4 

a 

a 

Rotterdam, 

1891, 

c. 

a 

40 

a 

a 

U 

1893, 

a 

a 

5.0 

a 

a 

U 

1894, 

a 

a 

4.8 

a 

a 

Christiania, 

1892, 

a 

a 

40 

a 

a 

u 

1894, 

a 

a 

3.0 

a 

a 

Dresden, 

1892, 

a 

a 

5.0 

a 

a 

u 

1893, 

a 

a 

4.5 

a 

a 

Vienna, 

1894, 

a 

a 

5.0 

a 

a 

Munich, 

1892, 

a 

a 

3.0 

a 

a 

U 

1894, 

a 

a 

2.5 

a 

a 

Berlin, 

1894, 

a 

a 

4.0 

a 

a 

— with  an  average  of  the  possibilities  of  3.8,  about  one  tenth  of 
the  lowest  rate  recorded  for  this  city.  In  short,  if  the  quality  of 
the  water-supply  can  be  advanced  to  that  of  several  of  the  cities 
mentioned  above,  the  typhoid-fever  rate  should  be  diminished 
nearly  ninety  per  cent  from  the  lowest  recorded  rate  of  the  city, 
which  means  an  average  saving  of  151  lives  per  year. 

That  typhoid  fever  is  a  water-carried  disease  seems  to  be  well 
attested  by  the  experience  of  all  the  cities  where  improvement  in 
the  quality  of  their  water-supplies  has  been  followed  by  a  marked 
reduction  in  the  case  and  death-rate  from  this  disease.  The 
experience  of  London,  Berlin,  Hamburg,  Vienna,  Munich,  and 
Newark  goes  far  towards  proving  that  typhoid  fever  is  a  disease 
depending  largely,  if  not  wholly,  upon  the  quality  of  our  public 
water-supplies.  According  to  Mr.  Allen  Hazen,  late  chemist  of 
the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Health,  “  In  parts  of  Germany, 
where  the  water  is  of  exceptional  purity  and  under  governmental 
control,  typhoid  fever  has  ceased  nearly  to  exist.” 

From  the  later  annual  reports  of  the  Massachusetts  State 
Board  of  Health  we  learn  that  with  the  improvement  of  the 
water-supplies  in  many  cities  and  towns  of  the  state  there  is  a 
corresponding  reduction  in  the  typhoid  rates.  The  change  of 
source  from  the  two-mile  to  the  four-mile  intake  crib  for  the 
Chicago  water-supply  reduced  the  typhoid-fever  death-rate  (ac¬ 
cording  to  Dr.  Arthur  R.  Reynolds,  late  commissioner  of  health) 


12 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


from  104  in  1892  to  42  and  31  in  1893  and  1894,  respectively,  per 
100,000  of  population. 

According  to  Mr.  Stoddard  Dewey,  in  “  Popular  Science  ”  for 
December,  1895:  “In  the  French  army  stationed  at  Paris  in 
1888  there  were  824  cases  of  t3^phoid  fever,  and  in  1889,  1,179 
cases  of  typhoid  fever.  During  this  time  the  army  had  been 
drinking  the  sewage-polluted  water  of  the  river  Seine.  In  1889 
the  water  of  the  river  Vanne  was  substituted  for  that  of  the 
Seine,  when  the  number  of  cases  for  the  next  four  years  (1890-3, 
inclusive)  was  reduced  to  299,  276,  293,  and  258.  Through  an 
accident  the  water  from  the  Vanne  became  contaminated,  and 
for  the  next  three  months  the  cases  rose  to  436.  The  Vanne 
again  became  comparatively  free  from  contamination,  and  for  the 
next  four  months  of  1895  but  eight  cases  in  all  occurred,  and 
these  were  charged  to  some  other  water  than  that  of  the  river 
Vanne.”  The  river  Vanne  is  a  mountain  stream  of  great 
natural  purity. 

Previous  to  the  introduction  of  bacterial  tests  of  the  quality 
of  water  color  was  the  principal  standard  of  purity.  If  the 
water  was  limpid,  odorless,  and  tasteless,  it  was  accepted  as  suit¬ 
able  for  all  domestic  purposes,  including  that  of  drinking.  Upon 
the  application  of  bacteriology  to  water-supplies,  it  was  found 
that  water  could  be  free  from  color,  taste,  and  odor,  and  still  con¬ 
tain  a  large  number  of  bacteria,  some  of  which  might  be  disease- 
producing  germs.  This  knowledge  brought  about  rapid  changes 
in  the  standard  for  potable  water,  and  caused  cities  to  seek  their 
supplies  in  sources  beyond  the  reach  of  sewage  contamination, 
and  to  revise  the  methods  then  in  vogue  for  the  purification  of 
water  by  artificial  means. 

The  effect  of  the  change  in  the  standard  of  purity  for  filtered 
water  is  well  shown  by  the  experience  of  London,  in  which  city, 
during  the  period  when  chemistry  alone  furnished  the  determin¬ 
ations  for  quality  of  the  filtered  water,  the  typhoid-fever  death- 
rates  ranged  from  90  to  100  per  100,000  of  population,  and  after 
the  bacterial  standards  were  adopted  the  rates  fell  to  24,  then  to 
18,  and  finally  to  14  per  100,000  of  population. 

As  an  index  of  the  trend  of  public  opinion  upon  the  liability 
of  municipal  corporations  and  water  companies  for  the  trans¬ 
mission  of  typhoid  fever  through  the  medium  of  public  water- 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


13 


supplies,  your  attention  is  respectfully  called  to  a  suit  recently 
brought  against  the  Ashland  (Wis.)  Water  Company  by  Mrs. 
Julia  L.  Greene,  of  that  city,  for  the  legal  value  of  her  husband’s 
life,  who  died  during  the  winter  of  1894  of  typhoid  fever.  The 
suit  is  based  upon  the  theory  that  the  water  supplied  by  the 
water  company  was  polluted  with  sewage  and  infected  by  the 
typhoid  bacillus;  that  this  condition  of  the  water  was  pointed 
out  by  the  local  board  of  health  some  time  prior  to  Mr.  Greene’s 
illness  and  death,  and  that  in  spite  of  the  warning  given  by  the 
health  board,  the  company  refused  or  failed  to  adopt  any  means 
of  purification,  and  continued  to  supply  this  infected  water  to 
its  customers ;  and  that  from  this  source  Mr.  Greene  imbibed  the 
germ  of  typhoid  fever,  which  was  the  cause  of  his  sickness  and 
death,  for  which  the  water  company,  by  its  negligence,  it  is  al¬ 
leged,  is  liable. 

Of  later  date  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Smith  has  brought 
a  suit  against  the  Duluth  (Minn.)  Water  Company  for  the  loss  of 
his  son’s  life  by  typhoid  fever,  the  germs  of  which  were  taken 
from  sewage-polluted  water  and  distributed  through  the  city 
mains.  In  addition  to  the  civil  suits  above  mentioned,  criminal 
prosecution  has  been  begun  and  indictments  returned  against 
the  manager  of  the  Duluth  Water  Company  for  the  pumping 
and  distribution  of  a  typhoid-tainted  water. 

So  far  as  we  are  aware,  these  are  the  first  suits  of  their  kind 
ever  brought  in  any  court,  and  if  damages  should  be  awarded 
the  plaintiff,  it  will  establish  a  precedent  which  may  fairly  over¬ 
whelm  every  city  or  water  company  in  the  United  States  with 
similar  suits.  If  the  city  of  Cincinnati  were  to  be  held  liable 
for  the  fatal  cases  of  typhoid  fever  only,  the  damages  for  the  year 
1895  would  aggregate  $1,200,000,  an  amount  considerably  greater 
than  will  be  required  to  construct  filtration  works  upon  a  very 
elaborate  plan. 

Your  Commission  feels  that  it  ought  not  to  be  necessary,  in 
addition  to  the  reasons  given  above,  to  resort  to  purely  sordid 
arguments,  of  the  most  unpleasant  character,  to  enforce  the  im¬ 
portance  of  improving  the  water-supply  of  the  city ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  they  feel  that  the  case  ought  to  be  presented  to  you 
and  to  the  people  of  Cincinnati  in  the  strongest  possible  light. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  great  mortality  from  typhoid 


14 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


fever  in  this  city  is  due  to  the  polluted  water  now  supplied,  and 
we  believe  that  we  are  justified  in  presenting  the  following  state¬ 
ment  of  the  estimated  pecuniary  loss  to  the  city  and  its  people 
from  this  disease. 

The  average  annual  loss  from  typhoid  fever  in  the  city  of  Cin¬ 
cinnati  during  the  past  six  years  was  164  lives,  which,  under  the 
laws  of  this  state,  may  be  valued  at  $10,000  each.  For  each  fatal 
case  of  typhoid  there  were  not  less  than  five  cases  which  recov¬ 
ered  ;  or  the  probable  number  of  cases,  exclusive  of  victims  who 
perished  in  their  battle  with  this  disease,  has  been  an  average  of 
820  for  the  past  six  years,  making  a  total  of  984  cases.  The 
average  cost  of  medical  attendance  to  all  cases  can  be  put  at 
forty  dollars,  and  the  average  loss  of  time  from  work  or  school 
of  those  who  recover  is  found  to  be  about  six  weeks,  which  time 
can  be  valued  at  common  laborer’s  wages,  or  one  dollar  and  a 
half  per  day.  The  cost  of  burial  of  those  who  died  can  be  taken 
on  an  average  at  sixty  dollars  each,  from  which  we  deduce  the 
following  yearly  cost  of  typhoid  fever  to  this  city  alone : 


164  fatal  cases . at  $10,000  00  $1,640,000  00 

820  x  36  ca<-es . at  1  50  44,280  00 

984  doctor  bills . at  40  00  39,360  00 

164  burials . at  60  00  9,840  00 


Total .  $1,733,480  00 


a  sum  which,  if  capitalized  at  four  per  cent  for  forty  years,  rep¬ 
resents  $34,310,162.92. 

This  estimate,  of  course,  does  not  take  into  account  the  num¬ 
ber  of  cases  and  deaths  among  non-residents  who  may  drink  the 
water  while  in  the  city,  and  return  to  their  homes  before  the 
symptoms  of  typhoid  develop. 

A  comparison  of  the  typhoid  statistics  of  the  cities  of  Cincin¬ 
nati  and  Covington  indicates  a  lower  average  typhoid-fever  death- 
rate  for  Covington  than  for  Cincinnati.  Thus  for  the  past  six 
years  the  rates  have  been  as  follows  : 


Cincinnati . . .  50  per  100,000  of  population. 

Covington .  37  “  “ 


or  the  Covington  rate  has  been  less  than  three  fourths  the  rate 
for  this  city.  Inquiry  into  the  quality  of  the  water  as  it  is  taken 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


15 


from  the  Ohio  River  shows  no  great  difference  in  favor  of  the 
Covington  water,  bnt  investigations  which  we  have  conducted 
for  this  work  along  the  bacterial  line  indicate  a  remarkable 
difference  in  the  condition  of  the  water  as  it  is  delivered  to  the 
respective  consumers. 

In  order  to  reconcile  the  difference  in  the  typhoid-fever  rates 
of  the  two  cities  for  the  past  six  years,  samples  of  water  were 
taken  upon  the  same  dates  from  a  tap  in  the  Glenn  Building, 
this  city,  and  a  tap  in  the  Post-office  Building,  Covington,  and 
tested  for  bacteria,  with  the  following  results : 


Date  of 

inoculation. 

Days  of 

growth. 

Bacteria. 

Percentage  of 
bacteria 
in 

Covington 

water. 

Reduction  of 
bacteria  by 
sedimen¬ 
tation. 

Colonies  per  c.  c.  of  water. 

Cincinnati. 

Covington. 

Jan.  17th ... . 

5 

1472 

272 

11.68 

88.32 

23d  ... . 

4 

1599 

194 

12.13 

87.87 

28th .... 

4 

5062 

172 

3  40 

96.60 

28th .... 

4f 

•  •  •  • 

182 

3  59 

96.41 

Feb.  4th.... 

4f 

1656 

53 

3.20 

96.80 

4th .... 

6 

2042 

56 

2.74 

97.26 

8th.. .. 

71 

1561 

63 

4.04 

95.96 

11th. . . . 

41 

1526 

75 

4  91 

95.09 

17th.... 

7 

684 

20 

2.92 

97.08 

21st  .... 

4 

329 

26 

7.90 

92.10 

21st  .  . . 

7 

1232 

112 

9  09 

90.91 

26th .... 

3| 

1144 

84 

7.34 

92.66 

26th .... 

5 

1436 

102 

7.10 

92.90 

The  water  for  Cincinnati  is  taken  from  the  Ohio  River  and 
delivered  to  the  consumers  with  but  a  few  hours  subsidence  in  the 
Eden-Park  reservoir,  while  the  water  of  Covington  is  carried  for 
an  average  of  thirty-two  days  in  the  subsiding  reservoirs  before 
it  is  delivered  to  the  consumers. 

From  these  tests  the  average  reduction  of  bacteria,  and  pre¬ 
sumably  of  the  dissolved  organic  matter,  in  the  Ohio-river  water 
by  thirty-two  days  subsidence  amounts  during  the  months  of 
January  and  February  to  nearly  ninety-four  per  cent. 

The  difference  in  the  quality  of  the  water  supplied  by  the 
two  cities,  then,  accounts  for  the  lower  typhoid  rate  of  Coving¬ 
ton  ;  and  it  is  altogether  probable  that  if  a  careful  census  were 
made  of  the  victims  of  typhoid  in  Covington  during  the  past  six 


16 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


years,  many  would  be  found  who  had  imbibed  the  infection  from 
the  use  of  Cincinnati  water. 

From  the  foregoing  review  of  the  quality  and  influence  on 
health  of  the  water-supply  of  this  city,  we  feel  absolutely  certain 
that  water  for  domestic  purposes  must  either  be  procured  from 
other  and  wholesome  sources,  or  that  radical  measures  must  be 
adopted  to  render  the  Ohio-river  water  fit  for  drinking  and  other 
dietetic  uses;  and  with  this  motive  in  view  we  have  considered 
the  following  several  sources : 

1.  Cumberland  Plateau  Project; 

2.  Lake  Erie ; 

3.  Dayton  (Ky.)  Sandbar; 

4.  Ground  Water-supply; 

5.  The  Ohio  River. 

Some  of  these  sources  are  so  clearly  impracticable  that  your 
Commission  would  not  have  thought  them  worthy  of  serious 
consideration,  except  for  the  reason  that  each  one  has  been  advo¬ 
cated  by  prominent  and  intelligent  citizens. 

Cumberland  (Ky.)  Plateau  Project. 

This  project  contemplates  the  creation  of  one  or  more  large 
impounding  reservoirs  on  the  plateau  of  the  Cumberland  Moun¬ 
tains  in  Eastern  Kentucky,  which  marks  the  divide  between  the 
Eastern  and  Western  Kentucky  watersheds.  Here,  at  an  elevation 
sufficient  to  deliver  the  water  by  gravity  into  Eden  Park,  reservoir 
storage  basins  would  have  to  be  constructed  which  will  gather  and 
retain  a  portion  of  the  rainfall  upon  the  tributary  drainage  area. 
Where  such  gathering  reservoirs  would  be  constructed  the  country 
is  wild,  with  few  settlements  and  thinly  populated,  and  offers 
the  nearest  approach  to  the  conditions  of  a  virgin  watershed  at 
an  elevation  sufficient  to  furnish  a  gravity  supply  to  the  city. 

A  project  of  this  kind  would  necessarily  contemplate  the 
gathering  of  a  volume  of  water  very  large  in  proportion  to  the 
daily  consumption  by  the  city,  and  storing  the  same  in  reservoirs 
for  months  before  use.  Such  pollution  of  the  water  as  might 
occur  from  land  waste  and  vegetable  organic  matter  carried  into 
the  reservoirs  by  the  runoff  of  rainfall  on  wild  land  would  be 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


17 


almost  wholly  eliminated  by  the  slow  natural  processes  of  sedi¬ 
mentation  and  the  action  of  the  common  water  bacteria  on 
organic  matter  in  solution. 

Such  water  would  compare  with  the  water  supplied  to  Boston 
from  Lake  Cochituate  and  the  Sudbury  River,  or  that  supplied 
to  New  York  from  the  Croton  watershed  and  to  Newark  from  the 
Pequannock  watershed,  with  the  advantage  in  favor  of  the  Cum¬ 
berland  Plateau  that  is  much  more  sparsely  populated  than  either 
of  the  watersheds  mentioned  above,  and  less  liable  to  serious 
pollution  at  any  future  time. 

A  water-supply  of  this  character  requires  that  the  works  as  a 
whole  should  be  projected  upon  a  basis  which  shall  have  for  its 
factors  the  population  to  be  supplied  at  the  end  of  a  given  term 
of  years,  and  the  probable  average  consumption  of  water  per 
capita  per  diem.  The  term  of  years  has  been  taken  as  forty; 
the  population  to  be  supplied  in  1936  has  been  taken  in  round 
numbers  at  550,000,  and  the  average  daily  per  capita  consumption 
at  130  gallons.  (Appendix  A.) 

The  quality  of  the  water  should  be  superior  to  that  now  sup¬ 
plied  to  either  Boston,  New  Yrork,  or  Newark;  and  if  the  plan 
involved  a  series  of  several  storage  reservoirs,  all  connected  with 
the  supply  conduit,  in  each  of  which  water  might  be  carried  for 
a  long  period  of  time  before  it  was  drawn  for  consumption,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  of  its  equaling  that  of  the  spring-waters  abroad, 
which  constitute  the  sources  of  supply  for  the  cities  of  Munich 
and  Vienna. 

Natural  or  artificial  lakes  at  high  elevations,  the  watersheds 
of  which  are  wholly  unpolluted  by  the  wastes  of  civilization,  are 
indeed  ideal  sources  of  water-supply  available  by  but  few  cities, 
and  while  a  source  of  water-supply  on  the  Cumberland  Plateau 
may  not  be  altogether  perfect,  when  viewed  from  a  hygienic 
standpoint  it  would  approach  the  ideal  source  very  closely. 

The  limited  time  at  the  disposal  of  your  Commission  pre¬ 
cluded  the  possibility  of  any  surveys  of  possible  locations  for 
impounding  reservoirs,  or  of  the  most  practicable  and  economical 
route  to  be  followed  in  connecting  the  impounding  works  in 
Kentucky  with  the  Eden-Park  reservoir  in  the  city.  To  present 
the  plan,  therefore,  in  such  form  that  its  probable  cost  may  be 
considered  by  your  honorable  board,  recourse  was  had  to  the 
2° 


18 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


geological  and  drainage  maps  of  Kentucky  and  the  notes  gathered 
by  the  State  Geological  Survey. 

These  meager  sources  of  information  indicate  that  it  is  possible 
that  large  impounding  reservoirs  might  be  located  in  Magoffin 
County,  the  water  surface  of  which  would  be  at  an  elevation  of 
1,000  feet  above  sea-level,  or  330  feet  above  the  flow-line  of  Eden- 
Park  reservoir,  taking  the  latter  at  238  feet  above  C.  D.,  or  670 
feet  above  sea-level.  In  order -to  secure  the  necessarv  watershed 
mentioned  later  on,  it  would  be  necessary  to  construct  a  number 
of  storage  reservoirs  on  the  branches  forming  the  headwaters  of 
the  Licking  River.  The  flow  from  all  these  reservoirs  would  be 
gathered  into  a  single  conduit-line,  which  would  probably  follow 
the  valley  of  the  Licking  River  and  the  most  practicable  route  to 
cross  the  Ohio  River,  and  make  a  connection  with  the  Eden-Park 
reservoir. 

From  the  limited  data  at  hand  upon  this  subject,  the  only 
reliable  statement  that  can  be  made  is  that  a  source  of  water- 
supply  can  possibly  be  had  upon  the  Cumberland  Plateau,  and 
that  the  water  can  be  delivered  to  Eden-Park  reservoir  by  gravity, 
thereby  avoiding  pumping-stations,  pumping-machinery,  and  all 
other  adjuncts,  including  the  continuous  daily  expense  of  works, 
which  will  require  the  pumping  of  all  the  water  to  an  elevation 
high  enough  to  supply  into  Eden  reservoir  by  gravity  flow.  The 
estimate  which  follows  is  largely  based  upon  assumed  conditions, 
which  surveys  may  modify  materially,  but  it  is  not  believed  that 
the  actual  conditions  will  be  found  to  favor  a  lower  estimate  of 
cost. 

Impounding  reservoirs  forming  the  sole  source  of  supply  of  a 
city,  or  calculated  for  the  wants  of  a  given  population,  are  usually 
planned  upon  the  theory  that  the  least  volume  of  water  stored 
should  equal  180  days’  consumption,  and  good  practice  would 
require  that  in  no  event  should  such  reservoirs  be  lowered  to  less 
than  two-thirds  of  their  total  capacity.  From  these  factors  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  capacity  of  a  system  of  storage  reservoirs 
for  the  water-supply  of  this  city  should  not  be  less  than  19,305,- 
000,000  gallons,  based  upon  an  average  daily  consumption  of 
71,500,000  gallons.  (The  present  average  consumption  of  water 
is  about  two-thirds  of  this  quantity.) 

Taking  the  lowest  recorded  rainfall  in  the  locality  where  the 
reservoirsjand  watershed  would  be  located  as  thirty  inches,  and 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


19 


estimating  the  least  available  runoff  of  rainfall  per  annum  for 
storage  purposes  as  thirty  per  cent  of  the  precipitation,  then  it 
appears  that  the  area  of  watershed  tributary  to  these  storage 
reservoirs  should  not  be  less  than  166.86  square  miles,  or  106,790 
acres.  The  watershed  would  represent  in  the  aggregate  a  tract  of 
land  12.91  miles  square. 

From  ten  previous  compiled  estimates  upon  this  class  of  works 
the  probable  cost  of  reservoir  per  million  gallons  of  water  stored 
may  be  as  low  as  $130,  from  which  we  deduce  the  cost  for  suffi¬ 
cient  storage  works  as  $2, 509, 650,  to  which  must  be  added  the 
value  of  2962.45  acres  of  land  occupied  by  the  reservoirs  at  five 
dollars  an  acre,  or  $14,812.25.  The  probable  length  of  conduit 
would  be  130  miles,  and  with  a  grade  of  2.538  feet  per  mile,  the 
diameter  of  a  circular  conduit  required  for  a  daily  maximum 
discharge  of  107,250,000  gallons  would  be  seven  feet  ten  inches ; 
and  assuming  this  pipe  to  be  made  of  60,000  T.  S.  steel  with  an 
average  of  five-eighths  inch  in  thickness  made  up  of  single  sheets, 
each  ring  eight  feet  long,  the  cost,  including  manholes,  blow-off, 
and  air- valves,  would  be  about  $21,864,592,  or  over  three  and  one- 
half  million  dollars  more  than  the  cost  of  the  Southern  Railway. 

This  conduit  would  cross  the  Ohio  River  in  a  tunnel  under 
the  river-bed,  which  would  cost  about  $144,000,  and  from  the 
Ohio  end  of  the  tunnel  the  conduit  would  follow  the  most 
practicable  route  to  the  Eden-Park  reservoir. 

Grouping  the  estimated  cost  of  the  project  under  the  heads  of 
storage  works  and  conduit-line,  we  have  the  following  statement 


of  the  probable  cost  (Appendix  O)  : 

Storage  works .  2.524,462  25 

Conduit-line .  22,008,592  00 

Total .  24,533,054  25 

Contingencies  and  expense .  2,453,305  43 

Total  estimated  cost . $26,986,359  68 


The  annual  interest  and  sinking  fund  charges  upon  this 
amount,  assuming  the  bonds  and  investment  both  to  be  placed 
at  3J  per  cent  per  annum,  the  bonds  to  be  redeemed  in  fifty 
years,  will  be  $1,150,428.51.  Aside  from  the  objections  to  this 
scheme,  due  to  its  excessive  cost,  is  the  further  objection  that 
quite  all  the  important  works  would  be  located  without  the 


20 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


boundaries  and  jurisdiction  of  the  state  of  Ohio;  which,  how¬ 
ever,  might  be  remedied  through  legislation  by  the  state  of 
Kentucky. 

Considering  the  distance  of  available  watersheds  and  eleva¬ 
tions  for  storage  reservoirs,  we  are  not  aware  of  any  city  in  the 
world  attempting  a  feat  like  this  of  obtaining  water  from  the 
Cumberland  Plateau.  The  nearest  approach  to  it  is  found  in 
the  water-supply  of  Manchester  (England),  which  has  recently 
bought  Lake  Thirlmere  in  Cumberland  and  its  adjacent  drainage 
grounds,  and  brings  the  water  to  the  city  through  a  conduit 
about  102  miles  long.  Vienna  brings  its  water  from  the  Sch nee- 
berg,  a  distance  of  60  miles;  Munich  brings  its  water  from  the 
Mangfall  Valley,  a  distance  of  37  miles;  Glasgow  brings  water 
from  Loch  Katrine,  a  distance  of  30  miles ;  Liverpool  has  its 
source  of  water-suppty  in  the  Vyrnwy  Valley,  in  Wales,  65  miles 
from  the  city  ;  and  the  city  of  Paris  has  had  under  consideration 
for  several  years  a  supply  of  water  from  Lake  Neuchatel  in  the 
Swiss  Alps.  Recent  information  from  Paris  indicates  that  no 
attempt  will  be  made  in  the  direction  of  Lake  Neuchatel  until 
the  practical  results  are  known  of  elaborate  experiments  which 
are  now  in  progress  upon  filtration  of  the  polluted  waters  of  the 
river  Seine. 

The  Cumberland  Plateau  project  may  therefore  be  considered 
as  impracticable  for  a  city  of  the  present  population  of  Cincinnati. 

Lake  Erie. 

Another  project  that  has  been  talked  of  is  that  of  bringing 
water  from  Lake  Erie  to  supply  the  city,  it  being  assumed  that 
in  this  way  an  unlimited  supply  of  the  purest  water  could  be 
obtained.  The  impracticability  of  this  plan  should  be  evident 
to  any  one  giving  it  intelligent  consideration ;  but  inasmuch  as 
it  has  been  seriously  advocated  at  various  times  by  citizens  of 
the  city,  it  seems  desirable  to  call  attention  to  some  of  the  con¬ 
ditions  that  render  it  impracticable. 

The  mean  level  of  Lake  Erie  is  about  135  feet  above  low  water 
of  the  Ohio  River  at  Cincinnati,  or  about  103  feet  below  the  water- 
level  in  Eden-Park  reservoir.  The  common  belief  that  if  a  proper 
channel  on  a  regular  gradient  could  be  provided  the  water  would 
flow  from  the  lake  to  supply  reservoirs  at  Cincinnati  by  gravit\r 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION.  21 

is,  therefore,  erroneous.  But  between  Cincinnati  and  the  lake  is 
a  ridge  or  divide,  which  at  the  point  where  it  is  crossed  by  the 
Miami  and  Erie  Canal  is  378  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake. 
The  water  would,  therefore,  have  to  be  pumped  over  this  eleva¬ 
tion,  which  is  140  feet  higher  than  the  water  is  now  lifted  from 
the  river  at  its  lowest  stage  to  Eden-Park  reservoir. 

The  distance  from  Cincinnati  to  the  lake  is  about  250  miles, 
and  a  conduit  of  sufficient  size  to  properly  supply  the  city  would 
cost  over  $40,000,000.  In  addition,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
tunnel  out  under  the  lake  three  or  four  miles  in  order  to  get 
clear  water,  free  from  shore  contamination*  as  the  cities  located 
directly  on  the  lake-shore  are  compelled  to  do.  When  such  cities 
find  that  the  problem  of  getting  pure  water  from  the  lakes  is  a 
very  difficult  and  expensive  one,  it  will  be  realized  how  imprac¬ 
ticable  is  the  plan  of  procuring  from  that  source  a  supply  for 
Cincinnati. 

Water  from  the  Dayton  Sandbar. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  sandbar  in  the  Ohio  River 
upon  the  Kentucky  side,  opposite  the  towns  of  Dayton  and 
Bellevue,  might  serve  as  a  natural  filter,  and  furnish  by  means  of 
wells  or  filter  galleries  a  supply  of  pure  water  which  would  be  en¬ 
tirely  unobjectionable  on  hygienic  grounds  and  ample  for  all 
purposes. 

Certain  conditions  are  always  necessary  in  a  natural  as  well  as 
in  an  artificial  filter-bed,  in  order  to  produce  a  water  of  requisite 
purity,  which  conditions  again  depend  upon  the  character  of 
water  supplied,  whether  the  same  be  merely  tainted  with  a  vege¬ 
table  growth,  or  carries  a  large  quantity  of  sewage,  or  in  addition 
contains,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Ohio-river  water,  a  large  amount 
of  sediment. 

Pockets  or  beds  of  stratified  sand  in  large  layers  found  deep  in 
the  drift  deposit  of  the  earth’s  crust,  which  furnish  water  that 
is  often  wholly  free  from  organic  matter,  with  a  small  number  of 
bacteria  (and  those  of  the  harmless  kind),  must  not  be  classified 
as  to  results  with  such  filter-beds  as  a  sandbar  in  a  polluted  river. 

The  natural  layers  of  sand  found  in  a  drift  are  usually  over¬ 
laid  with  considerable  thicknesses  of  clay,  layers  of  non-water- 
bearing  sand  and  tillable  soil,  through  all  of  which  water  from 


22 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


rainfall  must  percolate  before  these  deep-lying  water-bearing 
strata  of  sand  are  called  upon  to  perform  any  filtration  at  all. 
Moreover,  the  water  which  falls  upon  the  overlying  soil  is  not 
polluted,  but  the  purest  of  waters  from  the  clouds,  and  is  not 
such  water  as  is  usually  found  in  a  large  river  carrying  the 
sewage  and  surface  drainage  from  a  territory  of  many  thousand 
square  miles,  and  from  a  population  numbering  over  a  million 
and  a  half  of  people ;  therefore  the  quality  of  water  obtained  by 
means  of  driven  wells  should  not  be  taken  as  evidence  of  the 
quality  of  water  which  might  be  obtained  from  a  sandbar  of  un¬ 
certain  composition,  through  which  has  percolated  the  water  of  a 
polluted  river. 

The  best  artificial  sand-filters,  which  give  satisfactory  results 
in  the  quality  of  filtrate,  such  as  are  found  in  the  waterworks  of 
Berlin  and  Hamburg  (German}’-),  and  The  Hague  and  Rotterdam 
(Holland),  and  of  the  waterworks  of  London,  which  take  their 
supply  from  the  river  Thames,  Lea,  and  New  River,  require  not 
only  a  very  compact  bed  of  sand  of  uniform  thickness  under  the 
entire  water  surface,  but  require  that  this  sand  shall  be  clean, 
sharp,  of  a  specified  depth,  and  also  carefully  graded  in  order 
that  a  fixed  percentage  shall  not  be  larger  than  some  definite  size 
of  grain. 

As  the  object  of  the  filter  is  to  arrest  all  impurities  and 
disease  germs  contained  in  the  water,  it  is  natural  that  these  will 
gradually  accumulate  and  clog  the  sand-bed,  thereby  decreasing 
the  rate  of  flow,  and  ultimately  interrupt  the  same. 

To  prevent  this,  and  to  secure  proper  filtration  of  the  water, 
it  is  essential  that  a  thin  laver  of  sand  shall  be  removed,  washed, 
and  in  due  time  returned  to  the  sand-bed,  and  the  whole  of  the 
bed  of  sand  must  be  occasionally  removed,  washed,  and  re¬ 
placed.  In  other  words,  sand-filters,  to  give  a  high  quality  of 
effluent,  must  be  so  constructed  as  to  be  under  the  complete  con¬ 
trol  of  the  men  operating  them,  in  order  that  the  filter  may  at 
all  times  be  closely  adapted  to  the  condition  of  the  raw  water. 

This  fact  is  further  substantiated  by  experience  abroad  and 
in  some  cities  in  this  country,  where  the  surface  areas  of  such 
natural  filters  as  are  found  in  the  sand  deposits  alongside  and 
within  the  channels  of  rivers  have  in  the  course  of  time  become 
clogged  with  the  silt  and  other  matter  in  suspension  in  the  water, 
and  possibly  by  a  semi-gelatinous  film  produced  by  bacteria  from 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


23 


t lie  organic  matter  in  solution,  so  that  the  usual  remedy  has  been 
in  such  instances  as  have  come  under  our  observation,  when  the 
surface  of  the  sand  has  become  clogged  and  refuses  to  yield  the 
required  volume  of  water,  to  extend  the  filter  galleries  (or  other 
Works  devised  to  utilize  the  water  from  these  sources),  and  bring 
new  and  unclogged  surface  areas  of  the  sand-beds  into  service. 
This  experience  is  well  exemplified  at  Lyons  (France),  where 
along  the  bank  of  the  river  Rhone  filter  galleries  have  been  con¬ 
structed  from  time  to  time  until  now  four,  or  perhaps  five,  of 
these  are  in  service. 

The  theory  upon  which  the  Dayton  sandbar  is  proposed  as  a 
source  of  water-supply  is  based  upon  the  supposition  that  this 
constitutes  a  natural  filter  in  all  respects  equal  to  the  hygienic 
requirements  for  a  public  water-supply. 

To  determine  the  area  of  this  bar  and  the  nature  of  its  forma¬ 
tion  careful  surveys  were  made,  and  two  eight-inch  test  wells 
were  driven,  one  to  the  depth  of  80  feet  and  8  inches,  going  about 
two  feet  into  the  bed-rock,  and  the  other  to  a  depth  of  70  feet. 

During  the  boring  samples  of  the  sand  were  taken  and 
labeled,  which,  when  tested  b'acterially,  showed  a  large  number 
of  putrefactive  bacteria,  even  at  a  depth  of  60  to  70  feet,  indi¬ 
cating  that  the  sandbar  contains  a  large  amount  of  organic  mat¬ 
ter  in  a  state  of  slow  decomposition.  This  fact  alone  precludes 
the  possible  use  of  the  sandbar  for  filtering  purposes.  Even 
when  a  works  for  drawing  water  from  a  sandbar  is  first  put  into 
operation,  and  the  yield  of  water  would  be  satisfactory  in  both 
quantity  and  quality,  it  is  certain  that  in  course  of  time  the  yield 
of  water  would  be  diminished  and  the  quality  deteriorated,  in 
which  event  it  would  not  be  possible  to  restore  the  sandbar  to  its 
original  condition,  and  make  it  furnish  the  same  quantity  and 
the  same  quality  of  water  as  it  did  when  first  put  into  service. 
It  may  be  said,  in  partial  answer  to  the  objection  that  such  a  liar 
would  eventually  clog  with  the  silt  and  other  matter  in  suspen¬ 
sion,  which  would  be  drawn  into  the  interstices  of  the  super¬ 
ficial  areas  of  sand  bv  the  draft  of  water  to  driven  wells  or  filter 
galleries,  that  when  the  river  is  in  Hood,  much  of  the  material 
which  has  clogged  the  surface  of  the  sand-bed  would  be  washed 
away,  and  the  surface  as  a  filtering  medium  be  restored  to  its 
original  condition.  This  may  be  true  at  times  when  the  river  is 
at  a  high  stage;  but  such  cleansing  may  not  be  uniform  over  the 


24 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


entire  surface  of  the  sandbar,  as  it  must  be  for  proper  filtering 
effect,  and  during  low  stages  of  the  river,  with  corresponding  low 
currents  or  velocities  of  flow,  there  would  probably  be  no  erosion 
of  the  silted  matter  from  the  wetted  surface  of  the  sand-bed.  In 
considering  a  sandbar  as  a  possible  water-source,  we  are  bound  to 
accept  it  as  it  now  is  and  may  become,  with  no  known  method 
of  rectifying  any  inherent  defects  it  may  now  possess,  or  of  re¬ 
covering  its  original  efficiency  after  it  hag  once  deteriorated  in 
value  as  a  source  of  supply. 

Another  most  serious  objection  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that 
at  the  season  of  the  year  when  filtration  of  the  water  is  most  to 
be  desired,  at  the  end  of  the  dry  months,  when  the  stage  of  water 
in  the  river  is  the  lowest,  the  effective  area  of  the  wetted  surface 
of  the  Dayton  sandbar  is  wholly  inadequate  to  the  requirements 
of  the  city.  At  such  time  of  the  year  the  consumption  of  water 
may  at  present  reach  60,000,000  gallons  per  diem. 

From  careful  surveys  and  measurements  of  the  bar  with  a 
stage  of  three  feet  six  inches  on  the  low-water  gauge  of  the  river, 
the  submerged  surface  which  could  be  made  available  by  properly- 
constructed  filter  galleries  amounts  to  11.80  acres,  while  at  least 
20  acres  of  effective  filtering  area  is  necessary  to  furnish  the 
required  quantity  of  satisfactorily-filtered  water. 

With  the  bar  wholly  *  covered  with  water,  the  effective  area 
amounts  to  82.73  acres,  and  if  the  sand  was  well  graded  this  area 
would  be  sufficient  for  filtration.  The  sand,  however,  is  not  well 
graded,  and  that  portion  which  is  fine  enough  to  constitute  good 
filtering  material  is  found  so  low  in  the  bar  or  bed  (60  to  70  feet 
from  the  surface)  as  to  be  wholly  beyond  the  reach  of  a  filtering- 
gallery. 

In  order  to  obtain  better  information  in  reference  to  the 
capacity  of  this  bar  to  furnish  water,  and  the  quality  of  water 
that  might  reasonably  be  expected  from  it,  one  of  the  wells  pre¬ 
viously  mentioned  was  tested  for  capacity  by  pumping,  and  was 
found  to  yield  only  300,000  gallons  of  water  in  twenty-four  hours. 
At  this  rate  it  would  require  200  wells,  spaced  so  that  the  draught 
upon  one  will  not  affect  the  yield  of  another,  to  supply  60,000,000 
gallons  in  twenty-four  hours,  which  is  about  the  present  maximum 
daily  consumption.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  at  a  lower 
stage  of  water  in  the  river  the  quantity  of  water  yielded  by  each 
well  would  be  materially  less  than  the  quantity  stated  above. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


25 


4 

The  analyses  of  water  obtained  from  a  well  sunk  into  the 
Dayton  sandbar,  and  analyzed  by  Professor  Stuntz  in  1880,  pub¬ 
lished  in  the  ‘'Report  of  Analysis  of  Ohio-River  Water,”  1881, 
page  16,  show  that  this  water  comes  under  the  classes  of  “not 
good”  and  “bad.”  Indeed,  when  his  analysis  of  this  “sand- 
beach  ”  water  is  compared  with  those  of  water  taken  from  the 
river  at  Markley  Farm  at  about  the  same  time,  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  well-water  from  the  sand-beach  is  not  very  much  better 
in  quality  than  that  obtained  from  the  open  river. 

Aside  from  the  doubt  of  obtaining  at  all  times  an  ample 
water-supply,  the  objection  to  the  character  of  the  water,  and  to 
the  influence  of  the  deposited  organic  matter  in  the  sand  upon 
the  water,  make  it  certain  that  the  Dayton  sandbar  can  not  be 
considered  as  a  source  of  water-supply  for  Cincinnati. 


V 


Ground  Water-Supply. 

One  of  the  sources  of  a  water-supply  for  the  city  which  has 
been  frequently  spoken  of  is  that  from  deep  wells  into  the  heavy 
beds  of  sand  and  gravel  that  underlie  the  valleys  of  the  larger 
streams  flowing  into  the  Ohio  River  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati. 
The  valleys  of  Mill  Creek  and  of  the  Little  Miami  River  have 
been  especially  thought  of  in  this  connection.  The  opinion  is 
held  by  reputable  geologists  that  in  preglacial  times  the  Ohio 
River  flowed  through  what  is  now  Millcreek  Valley  to  a  point 
near  Hamilton,  turning  thence  southward  down  what  is  now  the 
valley  of  the  Great  Miami. 

It  is  thought  that  the  Little  Miami  River,  or  a  branch  of  the 
Ohio,  at  that  time  flowed  back  of  the  city  through  the  valley  now 
partly  occupied  by  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  to  the  main 
channel  in  Millcreek  Valley,  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
city  of  Cincinnati  being  then  possibly  an  island  in  the  Ohio 
River.  It  is  asserted  that  the  bed-rock  along  the  line  of  this  old 
river  channel  has  a  constant  and  regular  fall  from  Cincinnati  to 
Hamilton.  It  is  believed  that  the  advancing  ice  of  the  glacial 
epoch  first  filled  the  channel  and  valley  of  the  ancient  river  at 
the  extreme  north  end  of  the  great  bend  at  Hamilton,  converting 
the  river  into  an  immense  dam,  which  in  time  caused  the  water 
to  rise  until  it  overflowed  the  ridge  directly  below  Cincinnati, 


26 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


and  gradually  cut  a  new  channel,  which  it  has  since  occupied, 
from  Cincinnati  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  old  channel  of  the  Ohio 
was  very  much  deeper  than  the  present  one.  The  old  channel' 
from  Cincinnati  to  Hamilton  was  gradually  filled  up  during  the 
glacial  period  with  alluvial  deposits  of  sand  and  gravel  and  clay. 
It  has  been  thought  that  if  this  theory  is  correct,  the  underlying' 
beds  of  sand  and  gravel  have  become  a  vast  reservoir  of  water 
supplied  partly,  at  least,  from  water  entering  at  the  north  end  of 
the  old  channel  from  the  immense  gravel  and  sand  deposits  of 
the  Great  Miami  Valley,  and  if  so  it  would  be  reasonable  to  con¬ 
clude  that  this  underground  reservoir  in  Mill  Creek  is  practically 
inexhaustible,  and  that  by  tapping  it  in  a  sufficient  number  of 
places  an  abundant  supply  of  water  could  be  obtained  for  the 
city  of  Cincinnati. 

During  the  past  few  years  a  number  of  the  villages  in  or  near 
the  valley  of  Mill  Creek  have  provided  themselves  with  water- 
supplies  by  boring  wells  into  the  strata  of  sand  and  gravel  found 
at  depths  of  from  115  to  150  feet  below  the  surface.  Among 
these  villages  may  be  named  Glendale,  Wyoming,  Reading, 
Carthage,  Elmwood,  Ivorydale  (Proctor  &  Gamble),  St.  Bernard, 
Norwood,  and  Madison ville.  The  table  (Appendix  R)  shows  the 
depths  of  the  wells  at  each  place,  the  elevation  of  the  wells,  and 
the  elevation  at  which  the  water  stands  in  each  above  Cincinnati 
C.  D. 

If,  as  has  been  suggested,  these  supplies  come  from  a  great 
underground  reservoir  filling  the  valley  beneath  the  present  sur¬ 
face,  it  would  be  confidently  expected  that  while  the  pumps  were 
idle  the  water  in  all  these  wells  would  stand  at  the  same  level. 
An  inspection  of  the  table  shows  that  this  is  not  the  case;  but, 
on  the  conlrarv,  each  set  of  wells  lias  its  own  water-level.  Even 
where  they  are  less  than  one  mile  apart,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
well  at  the  Amusement  Hall  at  Wyoming  and  the  Wyoming 
Waterworks  wells,  there  is  a  material  difference  in  the  elevation 
at  which  the  water  stands  in  each. 

These  facts  seem  to  prove  conclusively  that  these  wells  are  not 
connected  with  a  great  underground  reservoir,  as  has  been  sus¬ 
pected.  It  is  probable  that  the  water  which  supplies  them  has 
its  source  in  the  rainfall  over  the  drainage  area  of  the  valley, 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


27 


which  percolates  into  the  earth,  and  thence  hows  through  the 
various  pervious  strata  of  sand  or  gravel  into,  and  possibly  along, 
the  valley. 

[f  this  view  is  correct,  it  follows  that  the  quantity  of  water 
obtainable  is  limited  to  the  quantity  absorbed  from  the  rainfall, 
and  transmitted  to  the  strata  of  sand  and  gravel  where  the  water 
is  now  found.  We  have  not  undertaken  to  estimate  the  quantity 
that  might  probably  be  obtained  from  this  source,  but  we  think 
it  very  unlikely  that  it  would  be  sufficient  at  all  times  to  supply 
the  city  of  Cincinnati.  There  is  no  practical  way  of  determin¬ 
ing  the  quantity  of  water  that  such  wells  would  yield  except  by 
actual  trial.  The  project  of  obtaining  the  whole  supply  of  water 
required  by  the  city  would,  therefore,  necessarily  be  experimental, 
and  would  involve  uncertainties  and  contingencies  which  your 
Commission  believe  to  be  sufficient  to  entirely  condemn  the  plan. 

No  city  in  the  world  of  the  siz£  of  Cincinnati  is  fully  sup¬ 
plied  with  water  from  wmlls.  Brooklyn  (N.  Y.)  obtains  a  part  of 
its  supply,  about  ten  million  gallons  daily,  from  driven  wells. 
Memphis  (Tenn.)  obtains  its  whole  supply,  amounting  to  about 
nine  and  one-fourth  millions  of  gallons  daily,  from  sixty  artesian 
wells,  which  have  together  yielded  as  high  as,  sixteen  million 
gallons  per  day.  Davton  (Ohio)  obtains  its  whole  supply  of  water 
from  eighty-seven  wells,  extending  to  a  depth  of  from  40  to  60 
feet  below  the  surface,  which  yield  about  five  and  one-half  mil¬ 
lions  of  gallons  daily.  The  city  of  Dresden  secures  a  supply  of 
about  ten  million  gallons  daily  from  wells.  A  large  number  of 
smaller  citi<  s  and  towns  in  this  country  and  abroad  are  supplied 
with  water  from  wells,  and  for  such  cities  this  source  of  supply 
is  adequate.  But  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  quantity  of 
water  consumed  by  the  city  of  Cincinnati  at  present  amounts, 
at  times,  to  nearly  sixty  millions  of  gallons  daily,  and  that  the 
natural  growth  of  the  city  will  soon  make  necessary  a  supply 
double  that  quantity,  it  will  be  comprehended  that  the  obtain¬ 
ing  of  such  a  supply  from  underground  sources  is  purely 
problematic. 

Even  if  it  were  entirely  certain  that  an  abundant  supply  for 
the  present  and  future  needs  of  the  city  could  thus  be  obtained, 
it  would  not  be  satisfactory  for  general  use  because  of  its  hard¬ 
ness.  Water  collected  upon  or  percolating  through  the  soil  in 


28 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


limestone  regions  becomes  charged  with  the  carbonates  and  sul¬ 
phates  of  lime  and  magnesia  and  other  mineral  salts,  which  give 
the  water  the  quality  called  “hardness.” 

In  addition  to  other  inorganic  matter,  all  ground  waters  in 
this  locality  contain  more  or  less  iron  in  solution,  which  is  ob¬ 
jectionable  both  in  water  for  domestic  uses  and  in  many  of  the 
arts. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  water  having  over  fourteen  parts 
in  100,000  parts  of  inorganic  mineral  matter  is  unsuitable  for 
domestic  and  manufacturing  purposes.  When  hard  water  is  used 
for  cleaning  and  washing  with  soap,  the  salts  of  lime,  magnesia, 
and  iron  unite  with  and  decompose  a  portion  of  the  soap,  render¬ 
ing  it  useless,  and  leaving  it  in  the  water  as  a  white  curd,  with 
which  those  using  hard  water  are  familiar.  The  soap  thus  uniting 
with  the  mineral  salts  is  entirely  wasted,  since  no  part  of  it  is 
available  for  cleaning  until  this  chemical  reaction  is  completed. 
The  additional  quantity  of  soap  thus  made  necessary  for  domestic 
and  laundry  purposes  is  so  considerable  as  to  represent  the  loss  of 
a  large  sum  of  money,  in  the  aggregate,  in  a  city  of  the  size  of 
Cincinnati. 

There  is  still  a  greater  objection  to  the  use  of  very  hard  water 
for  manufacturing  and  heating  purposes.  When  hard  water  is 
heated  chemical  changes  take  place,  which  causea  partof  the  lime 
and  magnesia  to  become  insoluble,  in  which  condition  it  is  pre¬ 
cipitated,  and  settles  upon  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  boiler  or 
heating  vessel,  where  it  becomes  baked  into  a  hard  mass,  adheres 
to  the  iron,  and  is  called  “scale.”  The  scale,  being  a  poor  con¬ 
ductor  of  heat,  acts  as  an  insulator  between  the  water  and  the 
metal  shell  of  the  vessel,  allowing  the  latter  to  become  over¬ 
heated,  or  “burned”  and  destroyed. 

It  is  not  possible  to  estimate  the  loss  thus  caused  to  steam- 
boilers  and  household  heating  apparatus  by  very  hard  water,  but 
it  is  recognized  as  so  serious  that  costly  processes  and  devices  are 
adopted  for  the  protection  of  steam-boilers,  and  particularly 
locomotive  boilers,  where  hard  water  alone  is  procurable.  The 
water  from  the  Millcreek  Valiev  wells  is  seldom  used  in  kitchen 
boilers,  because  the  water-back  and  pipes  leading  to  it  become 
filled  with  scale  and  burned  out  in  a  short  time.  In  one  of  the 
villages  thus  supplied  two  water-backs  in  a  kitchen  range  were 


REPORT  OF  T1IE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


29 


burned  out  and  replaced  within  one  year.  It  is  true  that  there 
are  methods  of  chemically  treating  or  softening  hard  water,  and 
these  have  been  employed  in  practice  on  a  small  scale:  but  even 
the  simplest  and  cheapest  of  these  methods,  known  as  Clark’s 
process,  is  so  expensive  that  the  cost  of  the  necessary  works  and 
of  purifying  the  water-supply  of  a  great  city  like  Cincinnati  would 
be  so  great  as  to  be  prohibitory. 

As  an  indication  of  the  very  serious  opposition  there  would 
be  by  the  people  to  the  introduction  of  such  water  for  general 
use  in  the  city,  it  will  be  recalled  that  recently,  when  it  was  pro¬ 
posed  to  turn  the  hard  well-water  of  Lin  wood  into  the  city  mains, 
the  citizens  in  the  part  of  the  city  that  would  be  affected  sent  a 
large  and  influential  delegation  to  the  Board  of  Administration 
to  protest  vigorously  against  such  action. 

The  water  supplied  by  these  deep  wells  is,  aside  from  the 
hardness  referred  to’  above,  remarkably  pure  and  wholesome, 
comparing  favorably  with  the  purest  mountain  spring-water. 
The  mineral  salts  constituting  its  hardness  are  believed  to  be, 
except  in  rare  individual  cases,  harmless. 

It  has  been  considered  altogether  feasible  by  the  Commission 
to  procure  a  ground  water-supply  which  will  meet  hygienic 
requirements  in  quality  and  all  purely  household  demands  in 
quantity,  and  that  this  water  might  be  supplied  to  consumers 
through  independent  or  small  mains  lying  parallel  in  the  streets 
to  those  now  carrying  river-water.  The  cost  of — 

(1)  A  duplicate  system  of  small  mains, 

(2)  The  main  pipe  lines  to  bring  the  water  from 

the  wells, 

(3)  Driven  wells, 

(4)  Pumping-machinery, 

(5)  Pumping-station,  and 

(6)  Land  for  works  and  rights  of  way, 

would  propablv  be  about  $2, 500, 000,  to  which  must  be  added  the 
cost  of  over  40,000  new  taps  and  services  at  an  average  cost  of 
twenty-five  dollars  each,  and  the  new  separate  plumbing  to  make 
the  water  available  for  the  domestic  uses  of  twenty-five  dollars 
to  each  consumer,  or  a  total  cost  roughly  pf  $4,500,000.  To  this 
also  must  be  added  the  expense  of  metering  every  such  supply 


30 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


so  as  to  check  any  waste,  which,  under  the  most  favorable  con¬ 
ditions,  would  always  remain  limited. 

If  there  were  no  other  and  better  source  of  supply  for  the  city, 
then  this  project  would  he  worthy,  in  our  opinion,  of  very  serious 
consideration. 


The  Ohio  River  as  a  Source  of  Supply. 

Every  commission  appointed  to  investigate  and  report  upon 
extension  or  improvement  of  the  city  water-suppty,  after  due 
consideration  of  other  possible  sources,  has  turned  to  the  Ohio 
River  as  the  only  certain  source  through  all  time  to  come.  Nor 
is  this  strange  when  you  consider  the  large  consumption  of  water 
which  now  occurs,  and  the  larger  consumption  which  will  occur 
in  the  future  as  the  city  grows  in  population. 

There  are  other  sources  which  either  can  not  be  depended 
upon  to  furnish  the  millions  of  gallons  required  by  the  city  from 
day  to  day  and  from  year  to  year,  or  they  are  of  such  a  character  as 
to  be  impracticable  by  reason  of  their  great  cost.  The  Ohio  River 
has  never  been  questioned  as  a  source  sufficient  for  all  the  water 
the  city  may  ever  need,  but  has  often  and  justly  been  condemned 
as  a  dangerous  source  from  which  to  take  water  for  domestic  uses. 

Everv  commission,  from  the  time  of  Mr.  James  P.  Kirkwood 
(1865)  down  to  the  present  day,  has  recognized  the  dangers  lurk¬ 
ing  in  water  from  a  large  river  like  the  Ohio,  carrying,  as  it  does, 
the  sewage  and  drainage  from  many  thousand  square  miles  of 
settled  and  built-up  territory,  and  made,  as  it  is,  the  channel  for 
the  waste  and  filth  of  every  city  and  town  on  its  banks  and  on 
the  banks  of  its  tributaries.  No  commission  has  ever  recom¬ 
mended  the  use  of  the  Ohio-river  water  without  providing  some 
means  for  partial  purification  before  it  was  delivered  to  the  con¬ 
sumers.  Mr.  Kirkwood  saw  the  objection  to  the  domestic  use  of 
the  Ohio-river  water  as  it  flows  past  the  city,  and  sought  for 
sources  which  in  his  day  were  believed  to  be  beyond  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  sewage  contamination  ;  and  after  a  careful  investigation 
of  such  of  these  as  were  near  enough  to  be  made  available,  he  was 
compelled  to  return  to  the  Ohio  River  as  the  only  certain  source 
which  could  be  relied  upon  to  meet  the  growing  requirements 
of  the  city  for  water. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


31 


After  an  elaborate  discussion  of  the  rainfall  statistics  of  this 
locality,  and  an  estimate  of  the  proportion  of  rainfall  running  off 
the  drainage  areas  of  certain  streams  which  he  thought  could  be 
utilized  as  sources  of  water-supply,  he  concludes  this  branch  of 
his  report  with  the  following  statements: 

“  In  the  valley  of  the  Great  Miami  and  in  the  valley  of  Mill 
Creek  three  small  streams  have  been  indicated  as  possessing  gath¬ 
ering  grounds  at  the  elevation  requisite  for  a  gravitation  supply 
sufticien tly  extensive  to  warrant  the  construction  of  storage  res¬ 


ervoirs. 

The  drainage  area  of  Clear  Creek  is. .  39.90  square  miles. 

The  drainage  area  of  Gregory’s  Creek  is. . .  16.00  square  miles. 

/  — 

A  total  of .  55.90  square  miles. 


Giving  4.40  square  miles  in  excess  of  the  52.50  square  miles 
which  we  have  estimated  to  be  necessary  in  this  district  of  coun¬ 
try  to  meet  a  demand  of  thirty  millions  of  gallons  per  diem. 

“  This  rate  of  supply  would  be  more  than  doubled  hereafter 
by  taking  in,  as  wanted,  the  gathering  grounds  of  the  West 
Branch  of  Mill  Creek  (28.50  square  miles),  Muddy  Creek,  in  the 
Little  Miami  Valley  (10.25  square  miles),  and  Turtle  Creek,  in 

the  same  valley  (27  square  miles) . 

“In  the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  at  such  convenient  place  as 
might  be  found  best,  a  distributing  reservoir  would  be  necessary 
to  receive  the  waters  of  Clear  Creek  and  Gregory’s  Creek  from  the 
conduit,  and  transfer  them  by  pipe  mains  to  the  city.  The 
length  of  conduit  would  be  about  forty-nine  miles.” 

Mr.  Kirkwood’s  conduit  was  planned  with  a  grade  of  one  foot 
per  mile,  and  the  elevation  above  city  datum  of  the  streams 
which  he  preferred  for  a  gravity  supply  are  given  in  his  report  as 
270  feet  for  Clear  Creek  and  220  feet  for  Gregory’s  Creek. 

Mr.  Kirkwood  evidently  did  not  regard  these  sources  as  very 
favorable  for  the  city  supply,  and  no  estimate  of  the  cost  of  mak¬ 
ing  these  available  is  give  in  his  report.  % 

As  a  matter  of  history,  it  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  Mr. 
Kirkwood,  in  his  estimate  of  the  future  population  to  be  supplied, 
fixed  the  population  for  1890  at  431,644,  or  more  than  125,000  in 
excess  of  the  true  population  at  that  time,  and  he  estimated  the 
daily  per  capita  consumption  of  water  for  that  year  (1890)  at 
sixty-five  gallons,  about  one-half  the  present  individual  rate  of 
consumption. 


32 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


While  Mr.  Kirkwood’s  predictions  upon  probable  population 
and  water  consumption,  twenty-five  years  after  the  date  of  bis 
investigation,  were  wide  of  the  mark,  bis  recommendations  in  re¬ 
gard  to  the  methods  for-  purification  of  the  polluted  Ohio-river 
water  may  be  regarded  in  the  light  of  prophecy.  In  speaking  of 
the  clarification  of  the  turbid  Ohio-river  water  he  says: 

“That  this  result  can  be  secured,  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  doubt; 
because  the  waters  of  certain  rivers  in  Europe,  discolored  under 
the  same  circumstances,  are  cleared  satisfactorily  by  a  simple  pro¬ 
cess  of  filtration  through  beds  of  sand  and  gravel.  When  the 
river  carries  much  sediment,  settling  reservoirs  must  first  be  used, 
where  the  water  becomes  freed  of  the  heavier  particles  held  in 
suspension,  before  being  thrown  upon  the  filtering  beds.  There 
may  be  said  to  be  three  modes  of  attaining  this  end: 

“  1.  By  subsiding  reservoirs  of  large  area,  arranged  either  in 
a  series,  or,  where  space  is  not  important,  in  the  form  of  one 
very  large  reservoir,  through  which  the  water  in  its  slow  passage 
deposits  all  the  sediment  held  in  solution. 

“  2.  By  subsiding  reservoirs  and  filter-beds  combined. 

'  “  3.  By  the  filter-beds  alone. 

“  In  the  first  case,  the  subsiding  reservoirs  must  be  large 
enough  to  clarify  the  water  when  in  its  worst  condition  without 
the  aid  of  the  filtering  process.  Large  reservoirs  of  still  water  are 
not  desirable  in  our  hot  climate. 

“The  second  case  is  more  economical  of  space.  Filter-beds 
have  been  resorted  to,  not  because  reservoirs  of  subsidence  would 
not  produce  the  desired  effect,  but  because  these  filter-beds  made 
the  process  speedier,  and  dispensed  with  the  necessity  for  subsid¬ 
ing  reservoirs  of  large  size.  In  this  hot  climate  it  is,  besides,  not 
desirable  that  large  bodies  of  water  should  remain  longer  than 
necessary  in  an  entirely  quiescent  state.  The  size  of  the  subsiding 
reservoir  will  depend  upon  the  character  of  the  water  and  on  the 
average  daily  consumption  conjointly.” 

At  that  time  (July,  1865}  Mr.  Kirkwood  had  not  made  his 
visit  to  Europe  for  examination  of  the  filters  then  in  use  in 
London,  Berlin,  and  other  large  foreign  cities,  and  of  course  had 
not  written  his  elaborate  report  to  the  city  of  St.  Louis  on  the 
u  Filtration  of  River  Water,”  which  by  students  of  water  quality 
is  now  looked  upon  as  a  classic  in  engineering  literature.  While 
Mr.  Kirkwood  died  before  it  was  known  what  filtration,  com¬ 
bined  with  proper  subsidence,  would  accomplish  in  the  hands  of 
such  masters  as  Herr  Piefke,  manager  of  the  Berlin  Waterworks, 
and  Dr.  Dunbar,  manager  of  the  Hamburg  Waterworks,  still  to 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


33 


him  is  due  the  honor  of  having  pointed  out  a  practical  way  to 
improvement  of  the  polluted  Ohio-river  water  more  than  thirty 
years  ago. 

Following  Mr.  Kirkwood  came  Mr  T.  R.  Scowden,  who  in 
1871  recommended  the  Ohio  River  as  a  source  of  supply  for  this 
city,  in  the  following  words: 

“  The  first  and  most  desirable  site  to  locate  works  was  at  a 
point  about  ten  and  one-third  miles  distant,  by  the  nearest  practi¬ 
cable  route,  from  the  Garden  of  Eden  reservoir,  or  what  is  known 
as  the  Markley  Farm . 

“  The  first  location  referred  to,  the  best,  is  a  point  where  the 
water  of  the  Ohio  River  is  deep  and  free  from  drainage  or  any 
other  vitiating  influence  to  affect  its  quality,  perhaps  for  a 
century  to  come,  if  ever. 

“  The  shore  is  bold,  and  with  the  bed  of  the  river  is  a  gravel 
and  rock  formation,  washed  clean  bv  an  active  current  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year.’' 

We  have  verified  Mr.  Scowden’s  statements  upon  the  character 
of  the  river-banks  and  bed  at  and  near  Markley  Farm  by  our 
own  surveys,  and  can  confirm  all  he  says  with  reference  to  the 
desirability  of  the  location  of  the  low-service  pumping-station  at 
or  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  point  which  he  selected. 

The  Board  of  Experts  selected  by  the  Water-Supply  Commis¬ 
sion  of  1888,  in  answer  to  Question  No.  4,  upon  the  source  of 
supply  which  it  would  recommend,  replies : 


“The  Ohio  River  is  recommended  as  the  source  of  supply. 

. The  volume  is  abundant  at  all  seasons  of 

the  year,  and  the  city  can  be  supplied  therefrom  by  the  simplest 
and  least  costly  system  of  works,  not  excepting  any  other  system 
of  supply  within  reach  of  Cincinnati,  either  physically  or 
financially. 

“  It  is,  in  fact,  the  only  source  of  supply  which,  all  things 
considered,  can  be  consistently  recommended. 

“  Much  weight  is  added  to  this  statement  by  the  concurrence 
of  opinion  of  the  engineers  who  have  investigated  k  this  subject 
within  the  past  twenty-five  years.” 


From  an  abstract  of  the  report  of  a  committee  of  the  Academy 
of  Medicine  upon  the  quality  of  the  public  water-supply  (Appen¬ 
dix  S),  we  quote  upon  the  subject  of  the  water  quality  and  source 
of  supply  as  follows : 


3 


o 


34 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


“Those  conclusions  with  reference  to  the  supply  of  Cincin¬ 
nati  are  : 

“1.  The  present  water-supply  of  Cincinnati  is  dangerously 
polluted,  and  should  be  abandoned  as  soon  as  possible; 

“  2.  The  Ohio  River  above  all  local  sources  of  contamination 
offers  the  best  available  supply;  and 

“3.  This  supply  can  not  be  safely  used  without  purifica¬ 
tion.’  ’ 

To  the  opinions  of  Mr.  Kirkwood  (1865),  Mr.  Scowden  (1871), 
the  engineers  who  constituted  the  Board  of  Experts  (1889),  and 
the  Academy  of  Medicine  (1895),  we  now  add  that  of  this  Com- 
mission. 

Considering  the  daily  volume  of  water  which  this  and  every 
other  large  city  needs,  it  would  be  very  unwise  to  aoandon  a 
certain  source  of  supply  for  one  of  doubtful  capacity. 

Sources  which  might  supply  the  suburban  villages  can  scarcely 
be  regarded  as  proper  sources  for  the  city.  All  these  known 
sources  in  the  neighborhood  combined  will  not  supply  a  very 
large  fraction  of  the  water  now  consumed  by  Cincinnati,  and  in 
all  probability  can  not  be  developed  to  meet  even  the  present 
requirements  of  the  city,  not  to  mention  the  increase  of  con¬ 
sumption  which  will  occur  with  growth  of  population. 

The  problem,  then,  resolves  itself  into  the  question,  Can  the 
Ohio-river  water,  polluted  as  it  is,  be  rendered  fit  for  domestic 
uses?  We  unhesitatingly  say  it  can,  and  b}7  means  which  years 
of  experience  abroad  have  shown  to  be  altogether  practical  in 
operation,  and  with  intelligent  and  painstaking  management 
capable  of  marvelous  results. 

It  has  often  been  claimed  that  the  water  of  the  Ohio  River 
above  the  Little  Miami  River,  at  the  pumping-station  of  the 
Covington  Waterworks  and  at  Markley  Farm,  is  of  superior 
quality  to  that  at  the  present  intake  of  the  City  Waterworks. 
The  analyses  of  water  from  1880  to  the  present  time  do  not,  with 
any  regularity,  indicate  a  very  marked  superiority  of  the  water 
above  the  Little  Miami  when  compared  with  the  water  at  the 
present  intake. 

Upon  this  point  we  desire  to  quote  from  the  report  of  the 
State  Board  of  Health,  March  3,  1892: 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


35 


“  The  chemical  and  biological  examinations  are  in  accord  with 
the  conclusions  drawn  from  ocular  inspection,  and  both  demon¬ 
strate  beyond  question  that  Cincinnati  is  now  supplied  with 
water  which  is  at  all  times,  and  occasionally  grossly,  polluted. 

“  Is  it  possible  for  Cincinnati  to  obtain  a  sufficiently  pure 
water-supply  above  local  sources  of  pollution?  This  question 
should  be  fully  answered  before  changing  the  present  source  of 
supply. 

“  Chemical  and  biological  examinations  of  samples  of  water 
taken  from  the  liver  three  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Miami  River  indicate  that  the  river  at  this  point  would  furnish 
a  water  not  greatly  superior  in  quality  to  the  present  supply. 
Ohio- river  water  un purified  can  scarcely  be  classed  among  po¬ 
table  waters;  and  as  the  density  of  population  along  the  Ohio  and 
its  tributaries  increases,  the  character  of  its  water  will  continually 
grow  worse. 

“It  will  not  be  necessary  to  present  here  the  arguments,  pro 
and  con ,  in  regard  to  the  self-purification  of  streams.  While  it 
is  possibly  true  that  considerable  amounts  of  putrescible  organic 
matter  in  running  streams  are  by  natural  processes  removed  or 
converted  into  harmless  compounds,  there  is  no  evidence  to  war¬ 
rant  the  conclusion  that  the  vital  elements  of  sewage,  the  germs 
productive  of  typhoid  fever  and  other  diseases  communicable  by 
ingestion,  are  removed  or  destroyed  to  an  extent  to  justify  the 
use  of  water,  unless  purified,  obtained  from  a  stream  polluted  by 
sewage.  On  the  contrary,  it  may  be  said  to  be  one  of  the  most 
firmly-established  facts  of  sanitary  science  that  typhoid  fever  is 
propagated  by  means  of  a  sewage-polluted  water-supply,  ana  the 
typhoid-fever  death-rate  of  a  city  is  held  to  be  a  just  measure  of 
the  extent  of  such  pollution.” 

In  regard  to  the  vitality  of  the  ty phoid-fever  bacillus  in  water, 
Prof.  Percy  Frankland  has  found  that  it  will  surviye  for  seventy- 
five  days  in  the  Thames  (London)  water;  Dr.  Edwin  O.  Jordan 
has  found  that  it  will  survive  for  ninety  days  in  the  water  of 
Lake  Michigan  (Chicago,  1893);  and  Mr.  Hill,  a  member  of 
this  Commission,  has  found  that  it  will  survive  for  sixty  days, 
with  full  powers  of  reproduction,  in  the  Ohio-river  water  (Cin¬ 
cinnati),  but  perishes  somewhere  between  sixty  and  ninety  days. 
The  longevity  of  this  bacillus  in  unsterilized  river-water  is  stated 
by  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Health  to  be  twenty-one 
days  (Merrimac-river  water).  During  this  time  it  is  evident  the 
bacillus  could  travel  down  stream  many  miles,  and  be  the  cause 
of  infection  to  a  large  territory  adjacent  to  a  river. 


36 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


An  examination  of  the  several  chemical  analyses  of  the  Ohio- 
river  water  at  the  Cincinnati  intake  (Front-street  Pumping- 
station),  and  at  California  and  Markley  Farm,  by  Prof.  Stuntz 
(1880),  Drs.  Holmes  and  Langenbeck  (1887),  Prof.  Dickore  (1891), 
and  Prof.  Simonson  (1896),  (Appendix  C),  indicate  no  certain 
superiority  of  the  Ohio-river  water  at  the  points  so  often  urged  as 
sources  for  an  acceptable  public  supply. 

Comparing  the  several  analyses  upon  the  chlorine  in  the 
water,  which  is  taken  as  an  index  of  sewage  contamination;  upon 
the  sum  of  the  ammonias,  which  is  taken  as  a  measure  of  the 
nitrogenous  organic  matter  in  process  of  decomposition  ;  and  upon 
the  organic  and  volatile  solids,  which  indicate  the  total  organic 
matter  in  the  water,  we  have  the  following  significant  results  : 

According  to  Prof.  Stuntz — Averages  of  analyses,  in  parts  per 
100,000  of  water : 


Source. 

Eden 

Reservoir. 

Markley  Farm. 

Chlorine . 

.  0.77  . 

. . .  0.47 

Ammonias . 

.  0.0542  . 

, . .  0.0337 

Volatile  Solids . 

.  2.85  . 

. .  2.88 

According  to  Drs. 

Holmes  and  Langenbeck  - 

—  Averages 

analyses,  in  parts  per  100,000  of  water : 

Pumping- 

Ohio  River, 

Source. 

station. 

Coney  Island. 

Chlorine . 

.  1.85  . 

.  .  .  1.70 

Ammonias . . 

.  0.0225  . 

, ..  0.0128 

Vnlat.il e  Solids _ 

_  7.50  . . 

. .  5.40 

According  to  Prof.  Dickore — Averages  of  analyses,  in  parts  j 

100,000  of  water  : 

Source. 

Eden-Park 

Reservoir. 

California. 

Chlorine . 

.  1.33  . 

.  .  1.256 

Ammonias .  0.0155 

Volatile  Solids .  7.704 

Nitrates  and  Nitriies .  0.0441 


0.0114 

5.133 

0.0421 


According  to  Prof.  Simonson — Averages  of  analyses,  in  parts 
per  100,000  of  water : 


Source. 

Chlorine . 

Ammonias . 

Nitrates  and  Nitrites 


Cincinnati 

Pumping-station. 

. .  2.10 
. .  0.0282  . . . 
. .  Traces.  .  . . 


Covington 

Pumping-station. 

..  1.65 

. .  0.0382 

. .  0.0004 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


37 


While  these  analyses  may  show  a  somewhat  better  condition 
of  the  water  above  the  Little  Miami  River  than  at  the  Front- 
street  intake,  they  clearly  prove  that  the  water  at  the  former 
locality  is  too  greatly  polluted  to  be  fit  for  domestic  and  drinking 
purposes. 

Cincinnati  can  not  at  reasonable  cost  provide  thirty-two  days’ 
capacity  of  subsiding  reservoirs,  but  by  combining  subsidence  for 
a  time  sufficient  to  remove  the  suspended  matter  with  filtration, 
at  reasonable  rates,  through  beds  of  fine  sand,  the  quality  of  the 
effluent  should  be  superior  to  that  of  water  purified  by  subsidence 
alone  for  any  length  of  time. 

Granting  that  a  location  convenient  to  the  Ohio  River  at 
sufficient  elevation  and  of  sufficient  area  can  be  had  for  subsiding 
reservoirs  of  a  capacity  which  will  give  thirty-two  days  for  pre¬ 
cipitation  of  the  solids  and  reduction  of  the  bacteria  and  dissolved 
organic  matter  in  the  water  to  the  condition  of  that  in  the  Cov¬ 
ington  water,  then  the  cost  of  such  larger  subsiding  reservoirs 
will  be  not  less  than  $6,703,488.00  (Appendix  P);  or  the  cost 
of  the  works  herein  submitted  for  the  consideration  of  your 
honorable  board  will  be  increased  by  $4,707,285.29  if  precipitation 
works  were  substituted  for  the  combined  precipitation  works  and 
filters  herein  proposed.  The  interest  and  sinking  fund  upon  a 
four  per  cent  basis  for  fifty  years  for  this  difference  in  cost  will  be 
$219,124.13,  which  amount,  equated  against  the  estimated  annual 
cost  of  filtering  60,000,000  gallons  of  water  daily  ($87,600.00), 
indicates  an  annual  difference  of  $131,524.13  in  favor  of  the  plan 
proposed  by  this  Commission. 

There  is  another  aspect  of  the  problem  to  which  your  atten¬ 
tion  should  be  called.  The  quality  of  water  from  precipitation 
basins  of  a  capacity  to  carry  large  volumes  through  many  weeks 
of  time  can  not  be  regarded  as  equal  to  that  of  water  which  has 
undergone  partial  purification  in  smaller  subsiding  basins,  and 
finally  passed  at  moderate  rates  through  filters  of  fine  sand, 
because  the  latter  is  brought  to  the  highest  attainable  practical 
standard  of  purification,  and  then  delivered  to  the  consumer  with 
the  least  delay  consistent  with  the  proper  operation  of  the  works; 
while  precipitated  water  in  storage  reservoirs  of  moderate  capacity 
(like  those  of  Covington)  is  subject  to  certain  seasonal  disturb¬ 
ances,  which  limit  the  degree  of  purification  attainable  by  simple 
subsidence. 


38 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


(Some  data  is  at  hand  which  indicates  that  the  effect  of  these 
seasonal  changes  in  the  stratification — if  the  term  is  admissible — 
of  the  stored  water  would  probably  be  eliminated  by  storage 
through'a  long  term  of  years,  but  reservoirs  of  a  capacity  to  carry 
a  water-supply  for  several  years  for  this  city  are  wholly  imprac¬ 
ticable.) 

From  experiments  conducted  by  Mr.  Edward  Flad,  C.  E.,  of 
St.  Louis,  upon  the  effect  of  limited  subsidence  upon  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  Ohio-river  water,  under  the  direction  of  the  Water- 
Supply  Commission  of  1888,  it  appears  that  a  material  reduction 
in  the  quantity  of  suspended  matter  is  effected  within  a  few 
hours.  From  the  table  of  results  kindly  furnished  us  by  Mr. 
Flad  (Appendix  Q),  the  average  for  nineteen  tests  in  the  reduc¬ 
tion  of  silt  for  a  subsidence  of  forty  to  forty-eight  hours  was 
66.54  per  cent  of  the  original  weight  in  water.  For  a  period  of 
thirty  to  forty  hours’  subsidence,  the  average  reduction  was  60.60 
per  cent. 

New  experiments  indicate  that  subsidence  for  from  four  to  six 
days  will  remove  from  the  Ohio-river  water  a  very  large  percentage 
of  suspended  matter,  and  relieve  the  filters  of  that  part  of  the  work 
which  is  chiefly  concerned  in  the  clarification  of  the  water.  The 
effect  of  this  will  be  to  cause  the  filters  to  pass  a  larger  quantity 
of  water  per  unit  of  area  between  successive  parings  or  cleanings 
of  the  sand.  Such  improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  water  as 
can  be  accomplished  in  subsiding  reservoirs  will  represent  a  cost 
for  labor  and  water  which  is  small  when  compared  with  the  cost 
of  restoring  filters  of  any  kind  to  their  original  condition;  and 
the  more  completely  the  suspended  matter  is  removed  by  subsi¬ 
dence,  the  more  exactly  can  the  grade  of  sand  in  the  filters  and 
the  rate  of  filtration  be  adjusted  to  the  work  of  reduction  of  the 
bacteria  and  dissolved  organic  matter  in  the  water. 

The  method  which  we  herein  propose  for  improvement  of  the 
Ohio-river  water,  and  upon  which  careful  estimates  in  detail 
have  been  made,  is  subsidence  in  reservoirs  of  medium  capacity, 
combined  with  filtration  through  beds  of  fine  sand.  From  our 
knowledge  of  the  Ohio  River,  its  silt-bearing  capacity  and  its 
chemical  and  bacterial  condition,  we  believe  that  sedimentation 
for  from  four  to  six  days  in  subsiding  reservoirs,  supplemented  by 
careful  filtration  conducted  upon  bacterial  lines,  will  produce  an 
effluent  which  will  compare  in  all  respects  with  the  water  of  any 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


39 


city  in  the  world.  This  judgment  is  based  upon  continuous 
experiments  with  the  water  through  the  past  two  years,  and 
from  careful  study  of  the  methods  of  operation  and  results 
obtained  from  sand-filters  abroad,  and  from  the  experimental 
work  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Health  of  1894.  It  is 
not  pretended  that  sedimentation  and  filtration  will  furnish  a 
water  chemically  and  bacterially  pure,  nor  that  such  Water  will 
be  absolutely  proof  against  the  typhoid  bacillus.  W ater  of 
this  kind  can  be  had  only  by  distillation.  But  it  is  maintained 
that  when  viewed  from  a  practical  standpoint  such  water  will  be 
so  far  advanced  in  purity  that  no  one  can  object  to  its  use  for  all 
purposes.  Chemically  and  bacterially  pure  water  can  be  had,  but 
at  a  cost  which  prohibits  its  use  by  cities. 

Sedimentation  for  a  few  days  in  subsiding  reservoirs  may 
have  no  large  effect  upon  the  dissolved  organic  matter,  nor  upon 
the  bacteria  in  the  water.  Indeed,  the  numbers  but  not  the 
kinds  of  bacteria  may  increase  during  the  time  the  water  is  held 
in  the  subsiding  reservoirs,  but  sedimentation  of  the  Ohio-river 
water,  even  for  a  period  of  thirty  to  forty  hours,  will,  as  shown 
by  Mr.  Flad’s  experiments  (Appendix  Q),  reduce  the  suspended 
matter  in  the  water  by  upwards  of  eighty  per  cent,  and  subsi¬ 
dence  for  the  period  of  time  provided  for  by  the  works  which  we 
herein  recommend  to  the  consideration  of  your  honorable  board 
will  deprive  the  water  of  all  matter  in  suspension  which  is  of 
greater  specific  gravity  than  the  water  itself. 

In  this  condition  the  subsided  water  will  go  to  the  filters  with 
little  of  the  matter  which  is  known,  in  many  works  where  filters 
are  now  in  use,  to  rapidly  clog  the  surface  of  the  sand-beds  and 
limit  the  capacity  of  the  filter. 

Therefore,  while  no  marked  improvement  in  the  hygienic 
quality  of  the  water  is  anticipated  from  the  subsiding  reservoirs 
alone,  we  deem  them  essential  to  the  use  of  filters  of  fine  sand 
operated  at  ordinary  rates  of  delivery. 

Much  of  the  work  now  required  of  the  filters  abroad  will  be 
accomplished  in  the  subsiding  reservoirs,  and  by  a  fair  division 
of  the  work  between  the  subsiding  reservoirs  and  the  filters, 
relying  upon  the  former  largely  for  clarification  and  improve¬ 
ment  of  the  color,  and  upon  the  latter  wholly  for  reduction  of 
the  bacteria,  better  results  can  be  had  in  the  quality  of  effluent 
and  economy  of  operation  than  by  filtration  alone. 


40 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


The  subsiding  reservoirs  have  been  designed  for  ready  cleans¬ 
ing  from  the  silt  and  other  suspended  matter  in  the  water  which 
will  be  deposited  upon  the  bottom  and  slopes,  and  are  so  arranged 
in  unit  capacity  that  at  all  limes  at  least  250,000,000  gallons,  and 
usually  300,000,000  gallons,  of  sedimentation  capacity  will  be  in 
service. 

The  filters  have  been  designed  for  a  total  capacity  of  66,000,000 
gallons  per  day,  and  a  least  effective  capacity  of  60,000,000  gallons 
per  day.  The  net  aggregate  area  of  water  and  sand  surface  is 
twenty-two  acres,  allotting  two  acres  to  each  of  eleven  filters. 
The  estimated  rate  of  delivery  is  3,000,000  gallons  per  acre  per 
day. 

To  obtain  the  highest  quality  of  effluent  with  the  maximum 
allowable  rate  of  filtration,  regulators  will  be  used  on  both  the 
inflow  and  outflow  pipes,  limiting  the  head  on  the  sand-bed  and 
the  loss  of  head  between  the  water  on  the  filter  and  the  level  of 
water  in  the  clear  well  to  such  measures  as  may  be  found  to  give 
the  most  satisfactory  results  in  practice.  The  construction  and 
proportion  of  the  filters  and  arrangement  of  filtering  materials 
will  be  given  in  the  general  description  of  the  principal  details 
of  the  works  which  follows. 

In  considering  the  question  of  filters  and  filtration,  we  Were 
not  unmindful  of  the  use  in  a  few  cities  and  towns  of  this  coun¬ 
try  of  the  so-called  mechanical  filters,  nor  of  what  is  known 
abroad  as  the  Anderson  revolving  water  purifier.  We  have  also 
had  brought  to  our  notice  a  novel  plan  for  mechanical  filtration, 
devised  and  manufactured  by  a  local  company.  But  the  exact 
data  upon  the  workings  of  these  filters  is  very  limited,  and  some 
of  the  practical  results  of  their  use  upon  a  large  scale  are  not  very 
satisfactory,  from  all  of  which  we  do  not  feel  warranted  at  present 
in  including  mechanical  filtration  as  a  part  of  the  improvements 
herein  proposed. 

This  view  is  not  to  be  construed  as  a  reflection  upon  mechan¬ 
ical  filters,  because  the  future  may  demonstrate  that  after  all  this 
is  the  best  metho'd  of  filtration  ;  but  that  demonstration  is  not 
now  at  hand,  and  we  are  compelled  to  incorporate  in  our  plans 
that  type  of  filter  and  that  method  of  filtration  which  long  experi¬ 
ence  and  careful  investigation  have  shown  to  be  competent  to 
render  polluted  waters  fit  for  domestic  uses. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


41 


The  chief  claim  of  the  advocates  of  mechanical  filtration  is 
founded  upon  the  reduced  cost  of  plant  and  higher  rates  of 
delivery  per  unit  of  filter  area,  when  compared  with  natural 
filtration,  as  practiced  in  many  European  cities.  But  low  cost 
and  high  rates  of  filtration  should  not  be  weighed  against  quality 
of  effluent,  if  it  be  at  all  possible  to  obtain  high  purity  by  prac¬ 
tical  means  at  a  cost  which  will  not  be  prohibitory  of  the  method. 

The  success  of  the  mechanical  filter  is  due  to  the  use  of  alum 
or  some  other  coagulant,  which  combines  with  the  suspended 
matter  and  bacteria  in  the  water  and  renders  these  susceptible  of 
easy  interception  by  the  sand-bed.  If  there  were  no  room  to 
doubt  the  advisability  of  using  a  coagulant  in  the  treatment  of 
potable  water,  then  beyond  question  the  mechanical  filter  would 
not  only  be  the  least  expensive  to  construct  and  operate,  but 
with  the  liberal  use  of  the  coagulant  would  probably  produce  a 
practically  sterile  water.  But  the  attempt  to  obtain  a  high  degree 
of  bacterial  purification  with  filters  having  beds  of  coarse  sand, 
and  relying  for  efficiency  upon  the  action  of  the  coagulant,  in¬ 
volves  a  new  danger,  the  extent  of  which  is  now  unknown. 

No  injury  is  possible  to  water  by  simple  filtration  through 
beds  of  sand,  relying  for  quality  of  effluent  solely  upon  the  fine¬ 
ness  of  the  sand  and  the  time  allowed  for  the  water  to  pass 
through  it. 

Experience  abroad,  especially  in  some  of  the  cities  of  Holland, 
has  shown  that  with  beds  of  very  fine  sand  and  very  low  rates  of 
filtration  the  effluent,  bacterially  and  chemically,  was  equal  to 
the  purest  of  spring-waters,  and  this  degree  of  purity  was  attained 
without  an}7-  possibility  of  injury  to  the  quality  of  the  water. 

While  alum  and  other  coagulants  have  been  used  in  some  of 
the  filler-works  of  Germany,  it  is  not  known  that  any  are  used 
to-day,  because  equal  and  in  instances  superior  results  are  had 
without  the  coagulants,  and  without  the  risk  of  danger  attending 
the  purification  of  water  with  chemicals. 

The  objection  in  Germany  and  England  to  the  use  of  a  coagu¬ 
lant  in  the  filtration  of  polluted  waters  is  based  upon  good  reason¬ 
ing,  and  the  same  conditions  which  support  the  opposition  to 
coagulants  abroad  exist  with  equal  force  here. 

Discussing  the  use  of  a  coagulant  with  special  reference  to  the 
sulphate  of  alumina,  which  is  the  agent  generally  used  with 


42 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


mechanical  filters  because  of  its  cheapness  and  efficiency  in  this 
respect,  it  should  be  understood  that  the  decomposition  of 
alumina  in  a  polluted  water  is  partly  a  combination  of  the 
suLphuric  acid  with  the  lime  and  other  bases  in  the  water,  while 
the  alumina  forms  with  the  suspended  matter  and  bacteria 
a  gelatinous  precipitate,  which  is  easily  intercepted  by  beds  of 
relatively  coarse  sand. 

So  long  as  the  quantity  of  alum  solution  applied  to  the  filter 
bears  a  close  relation  to  the  quantity  of  lime  and  other  bases  and 
to  the  suspended  matter  in  the  water,  no  objection  possibly  can 
be  raised  to  the  use  of  a  coagulant  in  filtration  of  polluted  waters; 
but  the  use  of  either  more  or  less  than  is  exactly  required  to 
effect  the  desired  combination  leads  either  to  the  presence  in  the 
water  of  undecomposed  alum  or  of  free  sulphuric  acid,  or,  upon 
the  other  hand,  to  imperfect  filtration. 

The  proper  adaptation  of  the  alum  solution  to  the  variable 
conditions  of  the  water  from  hour  to  hour,  and  from  day  to  day, 
requires  a  knowledge  of  these  conditions  upon  the  part  of  the 
feeding  device  which  is  not  to  be  expected  from  a  mechanical 
apparatus. 

While  very  small  quantities  of  alum  or  other  coagulant  or 
of  free  sulphuric  acid  in  waters  may  not,  at  times,  be  injurious, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  continuous  use  of  such  water  may 
lead  to  very  serious  disturbances  of  some  of  the  animal  functions. 

Measuring  the  efficiency  of  filters  by  the  reduction  of  the 
typhoid-fever  death-rates  of  the  cities  using  filtered  water,  it  is 
very  evident  when  viewed  from  this  standpoint  that  the  natural 
filters  of  the  foreign  waterworks  furnish  a  better  effluent,  but 
perhaps  at  a  higher  cost,  than  the  mechanical  filters  found  in  a 
few  of  the  waterworks  of  this  country. 

This  is  shown  by  the  following  comparison  of  the  typhoid- 
fever  death-rates  of  five  cities  in  the  United  States  using  me¬ 
chanical  filters  with  the  same  number  of  cities  in  Europe  using 
natural  filters  : 


American  Cities, 

1894. 

Average. 

Foreign  Cities. 

1894. 

Average. 

Davenport . 

....26 

21.4 

The  Hague... 

....3.4 

4.9 

Knoxville,  Tenn  .  . 

...59 

52.0 

Rotterdam . .  . . 

. 4.8 

5.2 

Chattanooga,  Tenn. , 

....48 

80.0 

Amsterdam .  . . 

. 8.2 

13.9 

Atlanta . 

. . . .43 

93.0 

Berlin . 

. 4.0 

8.0 

Quincy  ,1111 . 

....79 

58.0 

Hamburg  . ,  . 

. 6.0 

6.0 

Averages . 

....51 

60.9 

Averages  , 

. 53 

7.6 

REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


4a 


The  average  typhoid-fever  death-rates  per  100,000  population 
for  one  year,  or  for  five  years  past  or  less,  during  which  filters 
have  been  in  operation,  is  about  eight  times  as  great  in  the  cities 
having  mechanical  filters  as  in  the  cities  having  the  so-called 
natural  sand-filters.  Moreover,  the  foreign  cities  using  the  natural 
filters,  with  some  exceptions,  show  uniformly  low  typhoid-fever 
death-rates,  while,  with  the  exception  of  one  city  (Davenport), 
the  rates  are  very  irregular  in  the  American  cities  using  mechan¬ 
ical  filters. 

It  is  possible  that  the  use  of  the  filtered  water  abroad  is  much 
more  general  than  in  the  smaller  cities  of  this  country  supplied 
with  mechanical  filters,  which  might  operate  to  the  discredit  of 
the  mechanical  filters  in  a  showing  like  this.  But  diligent  effort 
to  arrive  at  the  proportion  of  filtered  water  used  in  the  American 
cities  mentioned  above,  and  its  relation  to  the  victims  of  typhoid 
fever,  has  resulted  in  the  failure  to  obtain  any  reliable  data,  and 
until  this  is  done  we  are  compelled  to  draw  our  deductions  from 
the  facts  presented  above. 

In  the  American  cities  and  Hamburg  the  rates  are  taken  from 
the  Register  of  Vital  Statistics  after  the  filters  were  introduced. 

Increased  knowledge  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  continuous 
sand  filtration,  as  illustrated  by  experience  abroad,  especially 
that  of  the  German  and  Dutch  cities,  and  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  Board  of  Health  during  1894,  indicate  that  filtration  with¬ 
out  coagulants  may  be  regarded  as  a  material  factor  in  the 
purification  of  polluted  waters  for  domestic  uses.  Sedimenta¬ 
tion  in  large,  deep  reservoirs  is  also  known  to  be  a  factor  in  the 
improvement  of  polluted  waters,  and  it  is  altogether  certain  that 
when  such  waters  are  retained — first  in  subsiding  reservoirs  for  a 
reasonable  length  of  time,  and  afterwards  passed  through  filters 
of  practical  construction  operated  under  rigid  regulations  as  to 
quality  of  effluent — the  greatest  practical  efficiency  with  artificial 
means  will  be  attained. 

It  will  be  obvious  to  your  honorable  board  that  success  in  fil¬ 
tration  of  the  Ohio-river  water  or  any  other  polluted  water  will 
depend  upon  the  skill  and  vigilance  with  which  this  part  of  the 
work  of  supplying  the  public  with  water  is  conducted.  A  filter 
should  be  handled  by  those  trained  to  its  use,  and  we  confidently 
believe  that  when  the  attendants  have  been  properly  instructed 
in  their  duties,  and  are  held  to  a  rigid  account  for  the  quality  ol 


44 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


effluent  produced,  the  hygienic  properties  of  the  Ohio-river  water 
will  be  surpassed  by  the  public  water-supply  of  no  other  city  in 
this  country  or  Europe. 

The  city  of  Rotterdam  takes  its  water  from  the  river  Mease, 
one  of  the  mouths  of  the  river  Rhine,  a  stream  which  is  carrying 
the  diluted  sewage  of  many  cities  and  towns  numbering  in  their 
populations  several  millions  of  people.  This  water  can  not  be 
much  superior  to  the  Ohio-river  water  at  Cincinnati,  and  it  may 
be  worse  than  the  water  here.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  no  city 
in  the  world  enjoys  a  water  of  better  uniform  quality  than  Rot¬ 
terdam,  and  this  quality  is  due  wholly  to  filtration  through  beds 
of  sand  of  moderate  fineness.  Shall  it  be  said  that  what  is  done 
in  Rotterdam  can  not  be  done  here?  The  skill  and  caution 
which  give  the  old  Dutch  city  a  reputation  for  its  water-supply 
surpassed  by  no  other  city  can  certainly  be  supplied  in  Cincin¬ 
nati.  If  your  honorable  board  will  supply  the  same  means  and 
exact  from  your  employees  the  same  vigilance  as  do  these  burgh¬ 
ers  of  Holland,  the  results  will  be  the  same.  It  is  simply  a 
question  of  how  much  the  city  is  willing  to  give  for  a  supply  of 
satisfactory  water  in  order  to  have  it. 

Of  the  twTenty-thfee  known  pathogenic  bacteria  found  in  po¬ 
table  waters,  only  one  (aside  from  the  cholera  bacillus,  which 
we  may  never  have  to  combat)  is  calculated  to  inspire  us  with 
fear :  the  bacillus  of  typhoid  fever.  All  attempts  at  the  purifi¬ 
cation  of  drinking  and  other  dietetic  waters  are  mainly  directed 
against  this  one  bacillus.  Keeping  this  single  species  of  germ 
out  of  our  public  water-supplies  means  the  saving,  of  many  vic¬ 
tims  from  an  early  death  or  broken  health. 

We  have  spoken  only  of  typhoid  fever  as  resulting  from  the 
use  of  polluted  water;  but  while  it  is  by  far  the  most  important 
one  in  its  disastrous  results,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  other 
diseases,  particularly  of  the  bowels,  frequently  owe  their  existence 
to  this  cause,  and  that  the  use  of  such  water  is  detrimental  to 
the  general  health  of  those  who  are  forced  to  drink  it. 

Elsewhere  in  this  report  we  have  shown  the  money-value  of 
the  average  annual  typhoid-fever  rates  for  this  city  alone  to  reach 
the  enormous  principal  of  $34,000,000,  a  sum  five  times  the  total 
cost  of  all  the  improvements  herein  recommended  to  the  consid¬ 
eration  of  your  honorable  board. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


45 


We  should  regard  ourselves  as  negligent  of  our  duty  if  we 
failed  to  emphasize  the  prevailing  importance  of  a  supply  of 
water  for  Cincinnati  which  shall  be  above  suspicion,  and  rank  in 
its  quality  for  domestic  uses*  with  the  best  water  found  in  any 
city.  The  effect  of  such  water  will  be  promptly  shown  in  the 
reduction  of  the  typhoid-fever  death-rates  of  eighty-five  per 
cent,  or  from  36-67  to  rates  of  5-10,  or  even  less,  per  100,000  of 
population. 

With  the  general  use  of  water  of  such  quality  as  the  proposed 
works  would  supply,  typhoid  fever  and  other  water-borne  dis¬ 
eases  should  become  as  rare  and  as  isolated  as  they  are  in  those 
cities  of  Germany  where  similar  means  of  water  purification 
have  been  adopted.  The  indirect  benefits  that  the  city  would 
derive  from  a  pure  water-supply,  such  as  attracting  population 
and  encouraging  lines  of  manufacture  and  art  for  which  pure 
water  is  necessary,  can  not,  in  our  opinion,  be  overestimated. 
We  need  not  enlarge  on  this  branch  of  the  subject,  as  its  impor¬ 
tance  will  be  recognized  by  all. 


THE  PRESENT  MAIN  PUMPING-STATION  ANI) 

RESERVOIR. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  description  of  the  Extension  and  Bet¬ 
terment  of  the  City  Waterworks  which  we  respectfully  recom¬ 
mend  to  your  honorable  board,  it  is  proper  to  consider  briefly  the 
condition  of  the  present  works,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  this  investi¬ 
gation. 

The  machinery  at  the  Front-street  Pumping-station,  from 
which  the  water  is  pumped  to  the  reservoirs,  is  packed  so  closely 
together  that  scarce  room  remains  for  the  men  to  discharge  their 
proper  duties.  Some  sixteen  pumping-engines  are  required  to  do 
the  work  which  can  better  be  done  by  four  or  five,  necessitating  a 
much  larger  number  of  engineers  and  helpers  than  would  be 
required  by  engines  of  several  times  their  average  capacities. 
Boilers  are  placed  not  with  reference  to  the  best  connection  with 
their  respective  engines,  but  where  space  has  permitted.  More 
than  one-half  of  these  engines  are  of  the  most  uneconomical  type 


46 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


known,  and  none  are  to  be  compared  with  the  fine  specimens  of 
modern  steam-engineering  which  are  found  in  the  waterworks  of 
Philadelphia,  Buffalo,  Detroit,  Milwaukee,  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  and 
Louisville. 

Considering  the  data  furnished  in  the  Table  of  Pumping  Sta¬ 
tistics  (Appendix  D),  one  can  not  avoid  the  conviction  that  this 
city  is  far  behind  the  other  large  cities  of  the  country  in  the  char¬ 
acter  and  capacity  of  its  pumping-machinery  and  in  the  arrange¬ 
ment  of  its  principal  pumping-station. 

A  comparison  of  the  cost  for  fuel  and  wages  per  million  gal¬ 
lons  pumped  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  with  the  cost  found  for 
other  cities  indicates  that,  with  four  or  five  modern  high-duty 
pumping-engines  of  20,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity  each,  the 
present  work  and  the  work  of  the  near  future  in  pumping  w^ter 
nan  be  done  at  less  than  one-third  of  the  present  cost. 

The  annual  reports  of  the  Water  Department  reflect  upon  the 
character  of  the  machinery  now  in  the  Front-street  Pumping- 
station  (the  principal  pumping-station  of  the  City  Waterworks), 
and  it  is  evident  that  serious  defects  exist  in  the  type  of  ma¬ 
chinery,  which  can  be  remedied  only  by  the  substitution  of  mod¬ 
ern  high-duty  pumping-engines  and  boilers  adapted  to  modern 
steam-pressures. 

High  economy  of  fuel  in  pumping-machinery  can  be  had  only 
by  carrying  steam-pressures  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  boilers 
now  in  use  in  the  Front-street  Pumping-station  ;  •  by  a  proportion¬ 
ing  of  steam  cylinders  which  will  admit  of  high  grades  of  expan¬ 
sion  ;  and  by  a  design  of  pumps  and  waterways  which  will  admit 
of  relatively  high  piston  speeds.  Low  cost  in  wages  can  be  better 
secured  by  combining  a  large  pumping  capacity  in  a  single  ma¬ 
chine.  None  of  these  conditions  are  found  in  the  machinery 
now  in  service  at  the  Front-street  Pumping-station. 

It  should  be  obvious  that  the  wages  of  an  engineer  and  his 
assistant  will  be  no  greater  while  operating  an  engine  which  will 
discharge  20,000,000  gallons  of  water  into  the  reservoirs  in  twenty- 
four  hours  than  when  operating  an  engine  which  will  discharge 
only  four  or  five  million  gallons  in  the  same  time,  while  the  cost 
of  wages  per  million  gallons  pumped  to  the  reservoirs  will  be 
three  or  four  times  more  in  the  second  case  than  in  the  first. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


47 


In  order  to  reduce  the  cost  of  fuel  in  the  Cincinnati  Water¬ 
works,  the  pumping  must  be  done  with  machinery  embodying 
the  most  advanced  practice  in  the  use  of  high-pressure  steam  ex¬ 
pansively. 

With  these  objects  in  view,  we  have  requested  estimates  of 
cost  from  all  of  the  principal  builders  of  large  modern  high-duty 
pumping-machinery  in  this  country,  upon  engines  and  boilers 
which  will  give  a  running  duty  of  110,000,000  foot  pounds  per 
100  pounds  of  best  Pittsburg  coal  obtainable  in  this  city,  and 
for  a  pumping  capacity  in  each  single  engine  of  20,000,000  gal¬ 
lons  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  estimate  of  cost  for  pump¬ 
ing-machinery  herewith  submitted  is  based  upon  these  estimates, 
kindly  furnished  the  Commission  in  confidence  by  the  following 
well-known  builders  of  modern  pumping  machinery: 

The  Edward  P.  Allis  Co.,  Milwaukee,  Wis. ; 

Wm.  Cramp  &  Sons,  Engine  and  Ship  Building 
Co.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.; 

The  Holly  Mfg.  Co.,  Lockport,  N.  Y.; 

The  Laidlaw-Dunn- Gordon  Co.,  Cincinnati,  01; 

Henry  R.  Worthington,  New  York,  N.  Y .; 

Southwark  Foundry  and  Machine  Co.,  Philadel¬ 
phia,  Pa. 

Each  of  these  companies  has  submitted  estimates,  based  upon 
full  consideration  of  the  conditions  under  which  the  machinery 
can  be  placed  and  operated. 

Apart  from  the  objections  to  the  type  and  arrangement  of 
pumping-machinery  in  the  Front-street  Station,  other  objections 
are  found  which  will  defeat  any  attempt  to  enlarge  or  improve 
the  waterworks,  using  this  station  as  a  base  of  operation.  The 
ground  possessed  by  the  city  and  the  adjacent  ground  available 
from  private  owners  is  not  of  sufficient  area,  nor  is  it  of  a  form 
to  admit  of  the  construction  of  a  new  engine  and  boiler-house  to 
accommodate  new  modern  pumping-machinery.  No  suitable 
land  is  available  within  convenient  reach  of  the  Front-street 
Station  for  subsiding  reservoirs  and  filters,  and  an  effort  to  re¬ 
model  or  enlarge  this  pumping-station,  and  carry  out  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  it  such  other  improvements  as  we  deem  essential  to  the 

% 

City  Waterworks,  will,  in  all  probability,  result  in  the  failure  to 


48 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


attain  the  two  principal  objects,  which  this  Commission  has  kept 
in  view — 

1.  An  improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  water 
supplied  to  consumers. 

2.  An  improvement  in  the  method  and  a  reduction 
in  the  cost  of  pumping  water  to  the  reservoirs. 

Another  objection  to  the  location  of  the  Front-street  Pump¬ 
ing-station  is  found  in  the  constant  danger  of  fire  caused  by 
sparks  from  passing  locomotives,  and  its  inaccessibility  on  ac¬ 
count  of  the  many  railway  tracks  in  front  of  the  station. 

Other  objections  are  found  in  the  extremely  inconvenient  and 
primitive  methods  by  which  the  station  is  supplied  with  coal, 
and  to  the  lack  of  sufficient  storage  room  for  the  same.  The 
principal  pumping-station  of  any  large  city  should  be  located 
against  possible  injury  by  fire  from  without,  and  constructed 
against  the  probabilities  of  fire  from  within,  with  ample  facilities 
for  handling  and  storing  coal,  to  reduce  the  cost  of  hauling  coal 
to  the  boiler-houses,  and  to  provide  against  possible  interruption 
of  traffic  upon  lines  of  transportation  by  which  fuel  is  supplied. 

A  comparison  of  the  cost  of  pumping  the  estimated  average 
Consumption  of  water  by  the  city  during  the  next  forty  years  to 
the  same  mean  head  as  at  present,  228  feet,  with  such  machinery 
as  we  find  in  the  Front-street  Pumping-station,  and  with  such 
machinery  as  we  have  herein  recommended  to  the  consideration 
of  your  honorable  body,  shows  that  the  yearly  difference  of  cost 
can  not  be  less  than  $150,983  (Appendix  E). 

This  estimated  annual  saving  in  fuel  and  wages,  capitalized 
at  four  per  cent  for  forty  years,  will  balance  an  investment  of 
$2,988,353.67. 

Taking  the  present  average  daily  consumption  of  water  at 
45,000,000  gallons,  and  prorating  the  cost  of  this  with  the  cost  for 
pumping  41,335,800  gallons  per  day  (1894),  the  present  annual 
cost  of  pumping  to  reservoirs  would  be  $161,293.80,  while  the 
cost  for  the  same  service  with  modern  pumping-machinery 
would  be  but  $47,303.90,  making  a  difference  of  $113,989.90,  a 
sum  which,  capitalized  at  four  per  cent  for  forty  years,  represents 
$2,256,162.19,  or  quite  three  times  the  cost  of  a  double  set  of 
pumping-machinery  as  estimated  in  this  report.  From  which  it 
is  evident  that  even  if  no  other  improvement  were  contemplated, 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


49 


the  saving  in  cost  of  fuel  and  wages  for  pumping  water  will  jus¬ 
tify  the  substitution  for  the  present  pumping-machinery  of 
modern  high-duty  engines  and  boilers  adapted  to  carry  high 
steam-pressures. 

In  short,  as  a  plain  business  proposition,  the  city  can  no 
longer  afford  to  pump  its  water  with  such  wasteful  machinery  as 
is  found  in  the  Front-street  Pumping-station. 

The  city  has  now  only  two  storage  reservoirs,  with  a  combined 
capacity  of  105,000,000  gallons,  which  is  less  than  two  days' 
supply  at  the  present  maximum  daily  consumption.  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  for  us  to  state  that  this  is  altogether  inadequate 
for  the  supply  of  the  city,  when  the  possibility  of  accidents, 
which  would  stop  or  cripple  the  operation  of  the  pumping-plant 
or  the  mains  leading  therefrom  is  considered. 

Only  good  fortune  and  extraordinary  vigilance  on  the  part  of 
the  management  has,  at  a  number  of  times,  prevented  the  calam¬ 
ity  of  a  water-famine  in  the  city.  The  necessity  for  a  larger 
capacity  for  storing  water  seems  so  evident  that  we  do  not  con¬ 
sider  it  necessary  to  discuss  the  subject  further. 


THE  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT  OF  THE  CITY 
WATERWORKS  AS  PROPOSED  BY  THE  COMMISSION. 

The  Plans  for  Extension  and  Betterment  of  the  City  Water¬ 
works  which  the  Commission  herewith  present  for  the  considera¬ 
tion  of  your  honorable  board  embrace  the  following  principal 
•details  : 

A  Low-service  Pumping-station  and  Intake  upon 
the  Ohio  side  of  the  River,  above  Five-mile  Creek; . 

A  Double  Line  of  Force-main  from  the  Low-service 
Pumping-station  to  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs; 

A  System  of  Subsiding  Reservoirs  at  California; 

A  Svstem  of  Sand-filters  at  California  ; 

A  Gravity  Supply-pipe  from  the  Clear  Well  of  the 
Filters  to  the  High-service  Pumping-station; 

A  Lligh-service  Pumping-station  West  of  California; 

A  Double  Line  of  Rising  Mains  from  the  High- 
service  Pumping-station  to  the  High-level  Distributing 
Reservoirs ; 

The  High-level  Distributing  Reservoirs  at  Corbley 
Farm  ;  and 

A  Conduit-line  from  the  High-level  Reservoirs  to 
Eden-Park  Reservoir. 


4° 


50 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


We  have  already  shown  that,  all  things  considered,  the  Ohio 
River  is  the  most  practicable  source  of  a  supply  of  water  for  the 
city  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  plans  and  recommendations  herein 
offered  by  your  Commission  are  based  on  that  source  of  supply. 

Having  determined  that  the  Ohio  River  must  be  the  source  of 
supply,  careful  examinations,  and  where  necessary  surveys,  were 
made  to  determine  the  best  location  for  an  intake  and  pumping- 
station  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  For  reasons  stated  earlier 
in  this  report,  the  site  of  this  intake  and  pumping-station 
should  be  located  above  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Miami  River. 
Above  that  point  to  Five-mile  Creek  the  current  of  the  river  is 
largely  on  the  Kentucky  side,  the  Ohio  side  being  occupied  by 
sandbars,  partly  caused  by  several  government  dams  or  dykes, 
which  tend  to  further  throw  the  current  toward  the  Kentucky 
side  of  the  river. 

No  suitable  location  for  a  pumping-station  can  be  secured  on 
the  Ohio  side  of  the  river  between  the  points  named.  Above 
Five-mile  Qreek  the  river  bends  to  the  south,  and  the  convex  side 
of  the  river  for  several  miles  is  on  the  Ohio  side,  throwing  the 
current  to  that  side.  Furthermore,  the  Ohio  shore  above  Five- 
mile  Creek  is  shown  by  examinations  to  be  composed  of  stratified 
limestone,  forming  a  stable  shore,  and  a  good  foundation  for 
stations  or  other  structures. 

Mr.  Scowden,  in  his  study  of  the  subject,  after  careful  and 
exhaustive  examination,  decided  that  the  only  suitable  location 
for  an  intake  and  pumping-station  was  at  Markley  Farm,  about 
twelve  hundred  feet  above  the  location,  which,  after  a  careful 
study  of  the  whole  subject,  we  have  decided  as  suitable  for  the 
intake  and  pumping-station  of  the  works  proposed  by  us. 

The  pumping-station  has  been  planned  to  accommodate  six 
sets  of  high-duty  triple  expansion  engines,  each  of  20,000,000 
gallons  daily  capacity,  with  the  proper  complement  of  boilers, 
and  an  allowance  of  one-third  reserve  boiler  capacity.  Two 
designs  for  the  engine  and  boiler-house  have  been  prepared  for 
consideration  by  your  honorable  board. 

No.  1  in  plan  contains  an  engine-room  94  feet  wide  by  170 
feet  long  in  the  clear,  with  two  boiler-rooms  as  wings  to  the 
engine-room,  each  84  feet  wide  by  96  feet  long. 

No.  2  contains  an  engine-room  68  feet  wide  by  242  feet  long 
in  the  clear,  and  a  parallel  boiler-room  59  feet  wide  by  297  feet 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


51 


long.  Certain  advantages  belong  to  each  design,  which  will  be 
apparent  upon  inspection. 

The  elevation  of  the  water-table  of  the  Low-service  Pumping- 
station  has  been  fixed  at  76  feet  above  C.  D.,  or  a  few  inches 
above  extreme  high-water  mark  of  1884  (the  highest  recorded 
level  of  the  river),  while  the  elevation  of  the  pump-wells  will  be 
carried  down  six  feet  below  C.  D.,  making  depth  of  pump-well 
from  floor  of  engine-room  82  feet. 

In  the  Low-service  as  well  as  in  the  High-service  Pumping- 
station,  offices  for  the  engineer,  bath-rooms,  wash-rooms,  and 
water-closets  for  the  men  employed  in  operating  these  stations, 
and  rooms  for  small  stores,  oil  and  other  necessaries  to  works  of 
this  kind,  have  been  provided. 

For  lack  of  time  tbe  coal-sheds,  machinery,  and  appliances 
for  lifting  coal  from  the  river  and  for  distributing  it  to  the  boiler- 
houses,  as  well  the  electric-light  plant  for  the  stations,  have  not 
been  included  in  the  drawings,  but  the  cost  of  these  has  been 
considered  in  the  estimate  of  cost  for  the  pumping-stations. 

The  estimate  of  cost  for  the  electric  traveling  cranes  to  handle 
the  various  parts  of  the  pumping-engines  as  these  may  need  ex¬ 
amination  and  repair  is  covered  by  the  estimate  for  pumping- 
machinery.  The  plans  and  design  of  the  pumping-stations  have 
been  adapted  to  convenience  in  operating  the  machinery,  and 
without  attempt  at  ornamentation  are  made  pleasing  in  external 
appearance. 

The  pump-wells  in  both  houses  have  been  so  arranged  that 
the  water  to  any  engine  can  be  shut  out  by  sluice-gates,  the  well 
pumped  out,  and  the  pumps  and  valve-chambers  examined  and 
repaired  without  interference  with  the  operation  of  the  other 
engines,  by  means  of  which  not  more  than  one  pump  need  be 
out  of  service  at  any  one  time. 

Design  of  Pumping-Station  No.  2  has  been  drawn  especially 
for  the  High-service  Pumping-station,  but  can  be  adapted  to  the 
Low-service  Pumping-station  by  reversing  the  relative  positions 
of  the  engine  and  boiler-room,  locating  the  chimney  and  en¬ 
gineer’s  quarters  in  front,  and  providing  a  corridor  fifteen  feet 
wide  across,  the  boiler-room  connecting  the  engineer’s,  quarters 
with  the  engine  and  boiler-rooms.  Design  No.  1  will  work 
equally  well  at  either  High  or  Low-service  Pumping-station. 


52 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


Pumping-Machinery. 

Each  pumping-station  is  to  be  furnished  with  four  engines  of 
20,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity,  or  with  a  present  maximum 
daily  capacity  of  80,000,000  gallons.  Considering  that  the  max¬ 
imum  daily  consumption  of  water  may  not  reach  this  quantity, 
nor  that  the  average  daily  consumption  will  exceed  60,000,000 
gallons  for  many  years  to  come,  this  capacity  would  seem  to  be 
sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  immediate  future. 
It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  demand  for  water  may  exceed 
our  estimates,  and  that  additional  pumping-machinery  may  be 
required  at  an  earlier  date  than  we  have  anticipated.  In  view 
of  such  contingency  the  engine  and  boiler-rooms  of  both  Low 
and  High-service  Pumping-stations  have  been  planned  to  accom¬ 
modate  two  or  more  pumping-engines  and  accompanying  boilers 
of  the  same  capacity  as  each  of  the  first  four  sets  of  machinery. 
The  addition  of  one  of  these  engines  raises  the  pumping  capacity 
to  100,000,000  gallons  daily,  and  when  both  are  added  each 
pumping-station  will  have  a  capacity  of  120,000,000  gallons  per 
day.  With  the  liberal  storage  capacity  in  the  Subsiding  Reser¬ 
voirs  and  the  High-level  Reservoirs,  we  have  not  deemed  it 
advisable  to  include  more  than  80,000,000  gallons  of  pumping 
capacity  in  the  plans  for  the  Extension  and  Betterment  of  the 
Waterworks  at  present. 

The  pumping-engines  considered  in  the  estimate  are  of  the 
triple-expansion  high-duty  type.  The  steam-pressure  carried  in 
the  boilers  will  be  130-135  pounds  above  atmosphere,  and  the 
highest  grade  of  expansion  will  ffie  used  in  the  proportions  and 
operation  of  the  engines. 

Each  of  the  five  builders  of  heavy  pumping-machinery  who  has 
kindly  furnished  us  with  an  estimate  of  cost  for  our  use  has  based 
his  estimate  upon  a  running  duty  of  110,000,000  pounds  per  100 
pounds  of  best  Pittsburg  coal  obtainable  in  this  market,  and  it  is 
believed  that  each  builder  has  made  his  estimate  with  a  full 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  under  which  the  High  and  Low- 
service  Pumping-machinery  will  operate. 

All  engines  are  to  be  of  the  vertical,  fly-wheel  type,  with  cranks 
set  120°  apart,  and  each  steam-piston  connected  directly  with  a 
double-acting  plunger  pump. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


53 


Force-Main  from  Low-Service  Pumping-Station  to 

Subsiding  Reservoirs. 

The  Force-main  from  the  pumping-engines  of  the  Low-service 
Pumping-station  to  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs  at  California  has 
been  planned  as  a  double  line  of  60-inch  cast-iron  pipe,  with  bell 
and  spigot  joints.  The  maximum  head  on  these  lines  of  pipe 
will  be  105  feet,  with  the  water  in  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs  at  the 
highest  level.  The  length  of  the  Force-main  is  15,485  feet, 
including  the  distributing  pipes  at  the  reservoirs.  The  route  will 
be  as  follows:  From  the  Low-service  Pumping-station  through 
farm-lands  to  an  intersection  with  the  Cincinnati  and  New 
Richmond  Pike,  at  a  point  1,200  feet  west  of  Four-mile  Creek,  a 
distance  of  6,000  feet  from  the  station ;  thence  along  the  pike  for 
a  distance  of  4,400  feet  to  the  Three-mile  Creek,  where  it  deflects 
to  the  right  to  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs  at  California. 

In  providing  for  right  of  way  through  farm-lands  for  the 
Force-main  consideration  has  been  given  to  the  placing  at  some 
time  in  the  future  of  another  line  of  pipe  of  same  size  parallel 
with  the  two  lines  shown  by  the  plans. 

Subsiding  Reservoirs. 

These  have  been  located  upon  the  bench  or  plateau  of  ground 

north  of  the  Cincinnati  and  New  Richmand  Pike  at  California. 
\ 

The  reservoirs,  six  in  number,  each  having  a  capacity  of  50,000,000 
gallons  when  filled  to  a  depth  of  thirty  feet.  The  bottom  dimen¬ 
sions  are  705  feet  by  210  feet,  with  dimensions  at  the  full  water¬ 
line  of  855  feet  by  360  feet.  The  top  width  of  embankment  has 
been  fixed  at  twenty  feet,  with  inside  slopes  two  and  a  half 
horizontal  to  one  vertical,  and  outside  slopes  two  horizontal 
to  one  vertical.  The  bottom  and  inside  slopes  are  to  be  covered 
with  two  feet  of  puddle,  over  which  will  be  a  pavement  of 
concrete  six  inches  thick.  The  top  of  the  embankment  will 
be  paved  with  concrete,  or  concrete  and  small  broken  stone 
rolled  in  place,  to  form  a  footwalk  and  driveway  around  and 
between  the  reservoirs.  The  inner  line  of  the  top  of  embankment 
will  be  finished  with  a  cut-stone  coping,  16  inches  wide  by  18 
inches  high,  with  awash  on  each  side,  and  the  whole  surmounted 


54 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


bv  an  ornamental  iron  picket-fence  with  posts  leaded  into  the 
coping.  The  outer  slopes  of  the  embankment  will  be  finished 
with  a  covering  of  sod  laid  on  a  dressing  of  top  soil. 

The  arrangement  of  the  distributing  water-pipes  and  sewers 
to  drain  the  reservoirs,  not  shown  in  detail,  is  such  that  the 
water  from  either  or  both  the  two  lines  of  Force-main  may  be 
diverted  to  either  reservoir;  and,  similarly,  any  reservoir  can  be 
emptied  and  cleaned  without  interruption  to  the  use  of  the  others. 

The  elevations  above  C.  D.  of  the  reservoirs  are  as  follows: 

Top  of  embankment .  175  feet 

Full  water-line .  171  “ 

Bottom  of  reservoir .  141  “ 

Test  pits  dug  on  the  site  to  elevations  below  the  bottom  of 
the  reservoirs  revealed  an  excellent  quality  of  material  for  the 
construction  of  rolled  water-tight  embankments. 


Filters  and  Clear  Well. 

The  Filters  and  Clear  Well  will  be  located  west  of  and  adjoin¬ 
ing  the  Subsiding  Reservoir  at  California.  These  have  been 
planned  as  eleven  in  number — one  group  of  six,  opposite  Subsid¬ 
ing  Reservoir  No.  1,  and  one  group  of  five,  opposite  Subsid¬ 
ing  Reservoir  No.  3.  The  dimensions  of  sand-bed  and  water- 
surface  are  220  feet  wide  by  400  feet  long  for  each  filter.  The 
depth  of  the  filter  from  the  top  of  coping  to  the  concrete  floor  is 
eleven  feet  The  filters  have  been  planned  with  masonry  walls, 
vertical  on  the  inside  and  battered  by  offsets  on  the  outside. 
Under  the  bottom  of  the  filter  a  layer  of  puddle  twelve  inches 
thick  has  been  shown,  and  over  this  puddle  is  placed  a  con¬ 
crete  floor  six  inches  thick.  The  walls  are  started  on  a  puddle 
foundation  twelve  inches  thick,  with  a  broad  footing,  and  around 
the  walls  puddle  of  varying  widths  will  be  packed  up  to  the 
level  of  the  ground. 

Each  filter  has  two  acres  of  sand  and  water-surface,  and  is  pro¬ 
vided  with  two  main  drains  graded  to  six  inches  in  two  hundred 
feet,  each  main  drain  being  graded  from  the  center  of  the  length 
of  the  filter  chandlers  to  the  effluent  chambers  at  the  ends  of  the 
filter  to  collect  the  water  from  one-fourth  the  area  of  the  filter, 
and  discharge  this  right  and  left  to  the  effluent  chambers. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


55 


The  main  drains  are  built  of  brick  with  port-holes  in  the 
three  upper  courses  to  convey  the  water  from  the  small  lateral 
drains,  and  are  covered  with  closely-jointed  stone  slabs  three 
inches  thick.  The  walls  of  the  main  drains  are  twelve  inches 
thick  on  a  concrete  foundation  six  inches  thick. 

The  lateral  dfains  are  of  vitrified  salt-glazed  tile  with  butt 
joint  of  arched  section  with  flat  bottom  and  perforated  on  the 
top  and  sides.  The  inside  dimensions  are  six  inches  wide  and 
eight  inches  high.  These  are  laid  on  a  concrete  floor  to  a  grade 
of  six  inches  in  105  feet.  The  lateral  drains  are  spaced  11.8  feet 
center  to  center  of  lines. 

Over  the  lateral  drains  is  placed  successively  fifteen  inches  of 
coarse  gravel;  six  inches  of  small  gravel;  fifteen  inches  of  coarse 
sand;  thirty  inches  of  fine  sand;  above  which  the  water-line  is 
fixed  at  four  feet. 

Each  filter  is  provided  with  one  influent  and  four  effluent 
chambers,  and  each  chamber  is  provided  with  an  automatic  regu¬ 
lating  valve  to  control  the  depth  of  water  over  the  sand-bed,  and 
to  regulate  the  rate  of  flow  from  the  filters  to  the  clear  well. 
Each  filter  is  supplied  through  a  30-inch  branch  pipe  connected 
with  a  48-inch  supply  main.  Each  branch  pipe  is  provided  with 
a  stop-valve  to  shut  off*  the  flow  to  the  filter  when  it  is  out  of 
service  and  being  cleaned.  Provision  also  is  made  for  the  drain¬ 
ing  of  the  water  to  such  level  below  the  surface  of  the  sand-bed 
as  may  be  desired,  or  to  empty  the  filter  of  water  altogether. 

The  system  of  distributing  pipes  from  the  subsiding  reser¬ 
voirs  to  the  filters  has  been  planned  to  admit  of  the  water  from 
any  reservoir  being  supplied  to  any  filter,  and  any  filter  can  be 
taken  out  of  service  without  interference  with  the  other  filters. 

The  Clear  Well  is  planned  as  a  masonry  structure,  with  walls 
vertical  on  the  inside  and  battered  by  offsets  on  the  outside.  The 
clear  well  is  started  on  a  layer  of  puddle  eighteen  inches  thick, 
over  which  is  placed  a  layer  of  concrete  six  inches  thick.  Out¬ 
side  the  walls  puddle  of  varying  widths  will  be  rammed  up  to  a 
level  with  the  ground.  The  clear  well  inside  has  a  length  of 
1,180  feet  and  a  width  of  148  feet,  giving  a  net  area  of  four  acres, 
which,  with  a  water  depth  of  fifteen  feet,  contains  20,000,000  gal¬ 
lons,  or  one-fourth  the  daily  capacity  of  the  High-service  Pump¬ 
ing-engines. 


,56 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


The  elevations  of  the  clear  well  above  C.  D.  are  as  follows: 

Coping .  136.58  feet. 

-Water-level .  133.25  “ 

Bottom .  118.25  “ 

Much  thought  has  been  bestowed  upon  thef  problem  of  open 
and  closed  filters  for  this  city,  and  due  consideration  has  been 
given  to  the  practice  of  filter  construction  abroad.  In  latitudes 
where  the  winters  are  rigorous  it  is  essential  that  the  filters  be 
covered  to  secure  good  results.  In  warm  climates,  where  the 
weather  may  not  interfere  with  the  working  of  the  filters,  there 
is  still  some  advantage  in  protecting  the  water  on  the  beds  from 
the  direct  action  of  the  sun  in  summer. 

In  temperate  climates,  like  that  of  London,  the  filters  are  all 
open  or  uncovered.  In  the  rigorous  winter  climates  of  St.  Peters¬ 
burg,  Warsaw,  and  Dantzic  the  filters  are  covered  to  avoid  the 
dangers  due  to  a  complete  freezing  over  of  the  water  on  the.  sand- 
bed,  and  more  especially,  perhaps,  to  avoid  the  freezing  of  the  sand 
when  the  filter  is  taken  out  of  service. 

Of  the  filters  of  Berlin,  a  city  in  a  climate  nearly  like  that  of 
Cincinnati,  some  of  the  filters  are  open  and  some  are  covered, 
while  the  most  elaborate  filter-works  of  Germany,  those  of  Ham¬ 
burg  are  of  the  open  type. 

The  normal  mean  temperature  of  the  winter  months  should 
govern  in  this  matter,  and  we  have  compared  the  temperatures  of 
the  three  winter  months  for  the  past  eleven  years  for  this  city 
with  the  mean  January  temperatures  of  Berlin  and  Hamburg. 

MEAN  NORMAL  WINTER  TEMPERATURES 
City.  December.  January.  February. 

Cincinnati .  36.75  .  30  66  .  34.27 

Berlin .  31  . 

Hamburg .  31  . 

From  this  it  appears  that  the  mean  January  temperature  of 
this  city  is  quite  the  same  as  that  of  the  German  cities  noted; 
but  of  the  eleven  years  embraced  in  the  average  for  this  city, 
seven  had  mean  January  temperatures  below  the  freezing-point. 

The  rules  of  the  Imperial  Board  of  Health  which  govern  the 
quality  of  the  public  water-supply  in  Berlin  also  govern  in  Ham¬ 
burg,  and  while  these  do  not  go  so  far  as  to  indicate  how  the 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


57 


filters  shall  be  built  (whether  open  or  covered),  they  are  very 
exacting  with  reference  to  the  performance  of  the  filters.  In  the 
light  of  the  long  and  valuable  experience  of  other  German  cities 
in  the  matter  of  filter  construction  and  operation,  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  how  Hamburg  could  have  made  a  mistake  in  a  matter 
apparently  so  easy  of  solution  as  the  covering  or  non-covering  of 
its  filters.  Altona,  adjoining  Hamburg,  and  subject  to  the  same 
winter  climate,  had  used  open  filters  for  thirty-two  years  before 
Hamburg  built  its  filters,  and  although  some  complaint  had 
arisen  in  Altona  against  open  filters,  it  does  not  seem  that 
this  was  strong  enough  to  cause  the  use  of  covered  filters  in 
Hamburg. 

Mr.  Allen  Hazen,  who  has  quite  recently  examined  the  filtra¬ 
tion  works  in  several  of  the  European  cities,  says:  “  When  the 
mean  January  temperature  is  30  to  32  degrees  F.,  there  is  room 
for  doubt  as  to  the  necessity  of  covering  the  filters;  but,  judging 
from  the  experience  of  Berlin  and  Altona,  covered  filters  are  much 
safer  at  this  temperature.”  * 

Mr.  Hazen  has  prepared  a  map  upon  which  he  has  drawn  the 
normal  January  temperature  line,  indicating  the  cities  above  the 
line  as  requiring  covered  filters,  and  the  cities  below  the  line  as 
not  requiring  covered  filters.  Upon  this  map  Cincinnati  is  placed 
below,  although  quite  near  to  the  line. 

From  personal  knowledge  of  two  of  the  Commission  as  regards 
the  winters  in  this  city  and  vicinity,  we  are  inclined  to  believe 
that  the  average  winter  would  not  affect  the  working  of  open 
filters;  but,  at  the  same  time,  we  recognize  that  experience  might 
demonstrate  the  advantage  of  covers,  and  in  view  of  the  possible 
necessity  of  these  provision  has  been  made  in  the  spacing  of  the 
filters  to  accommodate  covers  should  it  appear  desirable  at  any 
time  that  these  be  added. 

High-Service  Pumping-Station. 

From  the  Clear  Well  the  filtered  water  will  flow  by  gravity 
through  three  lines  of  60-inch  pipe  to  the  High-service  Pumping- 
station,  located  west  of  the  Filters,  and  from  there  the  water  will 
be  pumped  to  the  High-level  Distributing  Reservoirs. 

The  High-service  Pumping-station  may  be  built  after  the 
same  general  plan  of  the  Low-service  Pumping-station,  excepting 


58 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


that  the  foundations  and  pump-well  will  be  made  only  deep 
enough  to  accommodate  the  pumps.  The  same  conveniences  for 
employees  and  facilities  for  handling  and  storing  fuel,  and  for 
the  examination  and  repair  of  the  pumping-engines,  as  mentioned 
for  the  Low-service  Pumping-station  will  be  provided  here. 

This  station  is  designed  to  accommodate  six  sets  of  pumping- 
engines  of  20,000,000  gallons  capacity  each,  with  a  full  comple¬ 
ment  of  boilers  and  one-third  reserve  boiler  capacity,  as  in  the 
Low-service  Station. 

Two  locations  of  the  High-service  Pumping-station  are  shown 
on  the  general  plans,  but  preference  is  given  to  the  westerly 
location  near  the  Little  Miami  River,  because  of  the  shorter  and 
better  alignment  of  the  rising  pipes  to  the  High-level  Reservoirs, 
and  the  greater  convenience  and  lower  cost  of  supplying  fuel  to 
the  Pumping-station.  The  special  advantage  of  the  location  of 
the  High-service  Pumping-station  at  the  same  elevation  and  near 
the  Clear  Well  is  found  in  its  admitting  of  the  pumps  taking 
suction  from  wet  wells  instead  of  through  long  lines  of  suction 
pipes  under  pressure. 


Rising  Main. 

From  the  High-service  Pumping-station  the  water  is  delivered 
to  the  High-level  Reservoirs  through  a  double  line  of  60-inch 
pipe.  Two  routes  for  this  pipe  have  been  surveyed  and  estimated 
upon,  each  of  which  has,  in  its  way,  certain  advantages,  and  the 
possible  increase  in  capacity  of  the  High-level  Distributing 
Reservoir  might  influence  the  adoption  of  one  or  the  other.  The 
cost  is  substantially  the  same  for  the  Rising  Main,  whichever 
route  be  adopted. 

In  planning  the  Rising  Mains  consideration  has  been  given  to 
the  addition  of  another  line  of  pipe  of  same  size  parallel  to 
the  first  two  lines  whenever  the  service  and  consumption  of 
water  may  demand  this. 

At  the  High-level  Reservoirs  a  by-pass  or  direct  service  con¬ 
nection  from  the  Rising  Mains  to  the  Conduit-line  has  been  pro¬ 
vided,  through  which  the  water  may  be  pumped  at  any  time 
direct  to  the  Eden-Park  Reservoir  without  passing  through  the 
High-level  Reservoirs. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


59 


The  customary  service  contemplates  the  delivery  of  the  water 
from  the  High-service  Station  into  the  High-level  Reservoirs, 
from  which,  by  regulation  of  flow  through  the  Conduit-line, 
Eden-Park  Reservoir  will  be  kept  at  nearly  constant  level. 

The  profile  for  the  two  routes  for  the  Rising  Main  are  both 
favorable,  and,  with  the  exception  of  325  feet  of  tunnel  required 
by  the  easterly  route,  present  no  difficulties  of  construction. 

At  the  High-level  Reservoirs  the  Rising  Mains  are  arranged 
for  each  or  both  of  the  two  lines  of  pipe  to  deliver  into  either  or 
both  of  the  reservoirs  as  the  conditions  of  service  may  require. 
In  the  same  manner  the  connections  of  the  discharge-pipe  at  the 
High-service  Pumping-station  are  made  to  admit  of  the  delivery 
from  any  or  all  engines  into  one  or  both  lines  of  Force  Main. 

H IGU-L E V E L  R  ES ER VOIR. 

These  are  located  about  800  feet  east  of  the  Dogleg  Road 
where  it  intersects  the  Salem  Pike,  or  about  one  mile  east  of  the 
Little  Miami  River,  and  absorbs  about  980  feet  of  the  Salem  Pike, 
which  falls  within  the  south  division  of  the  reservoir.  This  pike 
we  have  shown  on  the  plans  relocated  around  the  south  end  of 
the  south  division  of  the  reservoir.  . 

Each  division  of  the  High-level  reservoir  is  intended  to  con¬ 
tain  100,000,000  gallons  when  filled  to  a  depth  of  thirty  feet,  and 
is  planned  to  receive  water  from  either  or  both  of  the  Rising 
Mains.  An  equalizing  connection  will  be  made  through  the  di¬ 
vision  wall  provided  with  a  stop-valve  to  maintain  a  uniform 
level  in  both  divisions  of  the  reservoir,  without  regard  to  the  rate 
of  delivery  from  the  pumping-engines  or  draught  to  the  conduit¬ 
line  from  each  division. 

Each  division  of  the  High-level  Reservoirs  has  the  following 
general  dimensions: 


Length  at  bottom .  925  feet. 

Width  at  bottom .  370  “ 

Length  at  water-line  (30  feet  deep) .  1,075  “ 

Width  at  water-line  (30  feet  deep) .  520  “ 

Inside  slopes,  21  horizontal  to  1  vertical. 

Top  width  of  embankment .  20  “ 

Top  of  embankment .  294  “ 

Outside  slopes,  2  horizontal  to  1  vertical. 

Elevations  above  C.  D. 

Water  line  for  30  feet  depth .  .  290  “ 

Bottom  of  reservoirs . .  260  “ 


60 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


The  inside  slopes  and  bottom  of  reservoirs  will  be  lined  with 
puddle  twenty-four  inches  thick,  over  which  will  be  placed  a  con¬ 
crete  pavement  six  inches  thick,  continued  up  the  slope  to  the 
top  of  embankment.  The  top  of  the  embankment  will  be  paved 
with  concrete,  or  with  concrete  footwalks  and  small  broken  stone 
driveway  rolled  in  place,  whichever  may  seem  more  desirable. 

The  outside  slopes  will  be  trimmed  to  true  lines,  dressed  with 
top  soil  and  covered  with  sod. 

There  will  be  placed  around  the  inside  of  the  top  of  the  em¬ 
bankment  a  cut-stone  coping  sixteen  inches  wide,  eighteen  inches 
high,  with  a  wash  cut  on  both  sides. 

The  coping  will  be  surmounted  by  an  ornamental  iron 
picket-fence  for  protection  of  attendants  while  employed  about 
the  reservoirs.  The  grounds  of  the  High-level  Reservoirs,  as  well 
as  the  grounds  for  the  Subsiding  Reservoirs  and  Filter-beds,  will 
be  protected  from  trespass  by  a  high  wooden  picket-fence,  placed 
upon  lines  at  convenient  distance  from  these  works. 

Several  test-pits  were  dug  upon  the  site  selected  for  High-level 
Reservoirs,  and  these  revealed  no  dangerous  strata  to  be  inter¬ 
cepted  in  excavating  for  the  reservoirs,  and  show  a  most  excellent 
quality  of  materials  for  the  construction  of  rolled  water-tight 
embankments. 


Conduit-Line. 

9 

The  Conduit-line  extends  by  good  alignment  from  the  High- 
level  Distributing  Reservoirs  across  the  Little  Miami  River  about 
1,250  feet  above  the  C.,  G.  &  P.  R.  R.  and  through  Turkey  Bottom 
to  an  intersection  with  the  Cincinnati  and  New  Richmond  Pike 
about  200  feet  east  of  the  Turkey-bottom  Road;  thence  following 
the  north  side,  and  parallel  with  the  line  of  the  pike,  to  Congress 
Avenue;  thence  by  a  slight  deflection  to  the  right  across  the  valley 
of  Crawfish  Creek  to  the  intersection  of  Scott  and  Wool  streets; 
thence  in  continuation  of  the  same  line  through  private  property, 
lying  between  Eastern  Avenue  and  Wool  Street  and  between 
Scott  and  Setchell  streets,  to  an  intersection  with  Eastern  Avenue 
at  Setchell  Street;  thence  by  a  deflection  to  the  left  through  and 
following  Eastern  Avenue  to  Weeks  Street;  thence  by  a  deflection 
to  the  right  through  private  property  lying  between  Weeks  and 
Washington  streets  and  Eastern  Avenue  and  Eden-Park  reservoir 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


61 


to  an  intersection  with  the  easterly  division  of  this  reservoir 
about  200  feet  west  of  its  easterly  end. 

The  alignment  and  profile  of  the  Conduit  is  particularly 
favorable  when  compared  with  similar  gravity  lines  of  pipe  in 
other  cities,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  laying  of  it  through 
Eastern  Avenue  presents  no  difficulties  of  construction,  nor  does 
any  portion  of  it  come  upon  land  or  ground  of  doubtful  stability. 

In  bringing  the  pipe  through  Eastern  Avenue  instead  of 
Columbia  Avenue,  as  proposed  bv  Mr.  Scowden  in  his  report  in 
1871,  certain  advantages  to  the  pipe  itself  and  to  the  city,  in  our 
opinion,  will  be  gained.  Columbia  Avenue  upon  inspection 
presents  several  objections  to  the  location  along  it  of  a  line  of  large 
water-pipe.  The  possibility  of  landslides,  either  from  the  natural 
water  percolating  through  the  ground  or  from  the  leakage  of  a 
pipe,  is  indicated  at  several  points.  The  crossing  of  Collins  Avenue 
under  the  bridge  in  Columbia  Avenue,  and  at  proper  distance 
above  the  grade  of  Collins  Avenue,  with  a  pipe  of  the  size  required 
would  be  a  troublesome  and  expensive  work,  and  the  crossing  of 
Collins  Avenue  below  grade  would  also  be  very  expensive,  besides 
creating  abrupt  vertical  deflections  in  the  Conduit-line,  which 
should  always  be  avoided  when  possible. 

Large  lines  of  water-pipe,  however  well  constructed,  are  liable 
to  leaks,  which,  while  unimportant  in  themselves,  will  pave  the 
way  to  serious  inconvenience  and  damage  to  property  upon 
elevations  lower  than  the  pipe. 

The  land  between  Columbia  Avenue  and  Eastern  Avenue  is 
generally  a  steep  hillside,  and  the  leakage  of  a  large  water-pipe 
lying  in  the  upper  avenue  (Columbia)  may  cause  landslides  or 
flood  the  property  between  the  two  avenues,  which  would  be  a 
source  of  inconvenience  and  damage  to  the  residents  below  the 
pipe,  and  a  source  of  annoyance  and  loss  to  the  city.  The  deliv¬ 
ery  of  the  pipe  itself  along  Columbia  Avenue  would  be  very  in¬ 
convenient,  and  would  create  a  special  cost,  which  will  be  avoided 
if  the  line  is  placed  in  Eastern  Avenue. 

By  placing  the  Conduit-line  in  Eastern  Avenue  all  danger  of 
displacement  of  the  pipe  by  landslides  and  all  damage  to  property 
from  possible  joint  leaks  will  be  avoided.  Such  leakage  as  may 
occur  will  drain  into  the  river  through  the  porous  sub-soil,  with 
no  more  injury  than  is  now  due  to  the  rainfall  on  the  unpaved 
and  unimproved  land. 


62 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


By  locating  the  center  line  of  the  Conduit  about  eight  feet 
south  of  the  north  line  of  curb,  and  estimating  upon  a  width  of 
trench  of  eleven  feet,  and  the  use  of  modern  machinery  for 
opening  and  backfilling  the  trenches  in  streets  like  Eastern 
Avenue,  subject  to  large  daily  traffic,  the  south  track  of  the  elec¬ 
tric  street-railway  would  always  be  open  for  transit,  and  by  the 
use  of  turn-outs  at  each  end,  not  more  than  a  block  in  length,  or 
a  part  of  a  block  in  length  of  the  north  track,  would  at  any  one 
time  be  out  of  service.  It  is  estimated  by  experienced  contractors 
for  this  kind  of  work  that  from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  feet  of 
conduit  can  be  laid  per  day,  which  would  require  for  this  portion 
of  the  line  about  366  working-days,  during  which  time  the 
interruption  to  travel  can  be  limited  to  less  than  a  block  in 
length  of  the  street. 

The  hydraulic  features  of  the  Conduit  are  represented  by  its 
diameter,  length,  and  the  heads  under  which  it  will  operate. 

The  length  has  been  given  in  the  estimate  (Appendix  N)  as 
32,751  feet.  The  diameter  will  be  six  feet  six  inches,  and  the 
head,  when  the  High-level  Reservoirs  are  at  the  maximum  water¬ 
line,  as  fifty-two  feet.  The  estimated  capacity  of  this  Conduit,  to 
consist  of  cast-iron  pipe,  will  be  about  138,000,000  gallons  in 
twenty-four  hours. 

Very  careful  computations  have  been  made  of  the  probable 
velocity  through  this  pipe  under  the  greatest,  least,  and  mean 
levels  of  water  in  the  High-level  Reservoirs,  and  then  compared 
with  all  reliable  data  at  our  command  upon  this  subject.  But 
the  greatest  reliance  has  been  placed  upon  special  tests  made  by 
one  of  the  Commission  upon  a  double  line  of  sixty-inch  cast-iron 
pipe  4,952  feet  long,  which  fortunately  can  be  operated  at  various 
velocities  of  flow  up  to  2.72  feet  per  second. 

Several  tests,  carefully  checked  and  compared  upon  these  two 
lines  of  pipe,  gave  the  coefficient  of  123  in  the  Chezy  formula, 
which  justifies  the  use  by  us  of  the  coefficient  126+  in  comput¬ 
ing  the  capacity  of  the  Conduit-line  in  this  work. 

In  considering  the  Conduit-line  from  the  High-level  Distribut¬ 
ing  Reservoirs  (to  which  the  water  will  be  pumped  from  the 
filters)  to  the  distributing  reservoir  in  Eden  Park,  two  kinds  of 
pipe  have  been  estimated  upon  and  included  in  the  list  of  esti¬ 
mates  herewith  submitted.  (Appendix  N). 


REPORT  OF1  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION., 


63 


(1)  Cast-iron  pipe  with  a  tensile  strength  of  material  of 
18,000  pounds  per  square  inch  of  section ;  and 

(2)  Steel-riveted  pipe,  with  a  tensile  strength  of  55,000 
pounds  per  square  inch  of  original  section  of  plate. 

The  cast-iron  has  been  estimated  on  the  usual  length  of  twelve 
feet,  with  bell  and  spigot  joints,  and  the  steel-riveted  pipe  has 
been  figured  in  sections  of  eight-foot  lengths,  with  butt  joints 
and  single  covers,  and  the  roundabout  seams  single  riveted  and 
the  longitudinal  seams  double  riveted:  the  rivets  to  be  counter 
sunk  on  the  inside  of  the  pipe,  with  button-set  field  heads  on 
the  outside. 

The  steel-riveted  pipe  has  further  been  estimated  upon  the 
basis  of  punched,  reamed,  and  countersunk  work.  In  either  case 
it  is  estimated  that  the  conduit-pipe  will  be  free  from  any  unusual 
obstructions  upon  the  inside,  and  in  estimating  the  flow  through 
cast-iron  and  steel-riveted  pipe,  Kutter's  formula  lias  been  em¬ 
ployed  with  the  coefficient  of  roughness,  n=.013. 

In  developing  both  the  cast-iron  and  steel-riveted  conduit  due 
consideration  has  been  given  to  the  necessity  of  manholes  at 
convenient  distances  apart  in  the  top  of  the  pipe,  through  which 
men  may  enter  and  clean  the  walls  of  the  pipe  of  any  tuber¬ 
cles  which  may  have  grown  therein,  and  repaint  the  pipe  with 
asphaltum  varnish,  or  such  other  material  as  may  seem  best 
suited  for  the  purpose. 


In  regard  to  the  time  that  will  be  required  for  the  construction 
of  the  Extension  and  Betterment  of  the  Water-supply  of  the 
city,  herein  recommended,  it  will,  of  course,  depend  on  many 
conditions  which  can  not  now  be  foreseen.  We  think  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  it  is  possible  and  practicable  to  have  the  works  so  far 
completed  that  water  may  be  supplied  through  them  to  the  city 
within  four  years  after  the  work  of  construction  shall  have  been 
authorized. 

The  drawings  herewith  presented  should  be  taken  as  illustra¬ 
tive  of  the  general  plan  of  works  proposed,  rather  than  as  details 
to  be  rigidly  followed  in  construction.  The  details  should  be 
held  subject  to  such  corrections  as  more  careful  study  of  each  by 
itself,  and  as  a  part  of  the  whole,  may  naturally  suggest. 


64 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


Each  principal  element  of  the  general  plan  is  so  great  in  mag¬ 
nitude  and  cost,  and  so  essential  to  the  proper  performance  and 
efficiency  of  the  works  as  an  entirety,  as  to  entitle  it  to  an  amount 
of  independent  study  quite  equal  to  that  which  we  have  been  able 
to  devote  to  the  whole  investigation,  and  such  changes  as  mature 
consideration  may  suggest  in  the  details  of  construction  will  not, 
in  our  opinion,  increase  but  may  diminish  the  estimate  of  cost, 
while  improving  some  of  the  conditions  affecting  the  efficiency 
of  the  works  proposed. 

It  was  obviously  impossible  within  the  time  at  our  disposal 
to  develop  the  details  of  works  of  such  magnitude  as  is  herein 
recommended  to  your  honorable  board  for  the  Extension  and 
Betterment  of  the  City  Waterworks,  and  we  deem  it  advisable  to 
leave  these  to  the  judgment  of  the  engineer  or  commission  who 
may  be  charged  with  the  construction  of  the  improvements 
herein  outlined,  believing  that  with  sufficient  time  and  proper 
study  of  each  important  element  the  various  details  will  be  made 
to  conform  to  the  most  advanced  practice  in  this  line  of  work. 

Before  closing  our  report,  and  in  consideration  of  courtesies 
received,  we  desire  to  express  our  obligations  to  Mr.  H.  J.  Stanley 
(chief  engineer  of  your  honorable  board),  Mr.  Willis  P.  Tharp 
(superintendent  and  engineer  of  the  City  Waterworks),  the  water¬ 
works  and  health  officers  of  all  of  the  large  cities  to  whom  we 
have  applied  for  information  to  aid  us  in  our  labors,  and  finally 
to  our  faithful  and  intelligent  corps  of  assistants  in  the  field  and 
office,  through  whose  earnest  efforts  and  painstaking  labors  we 
have  been  enabled  to  bring  the  work  of  the  investigation  to  a 
close  within  the  time  stipulated  in  the  resolution  under  which 
we  were  appointed. 

We  also  desire  to  express  our  appreciation  of  the  courtesy  and 
promptness  with  which  you  have  met  our  every  request  for  aid 
or  material  in  behalf  of  this  work. 

Hoping  our  work  may  meet  your  approbation,  we  have  the 
honor  to  present  for  your  consideration  the  within  report. 

JOHN  W.  HILL, 

S.  WHINERY, 

G.  li.  BENZENBERG. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


65 


Estimated  Cost  of  Extension  and  Betterment  of  City 
Waterworks,  based  upon  an  ultimate  Consumption 
of  120,000,000  Gallons  of  Water  per  day. 

Low-service  Pumping-station,  to  accommodate  six  triple  expan¬ 
sion  pumping-engines  of  20,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity, 
each .  249,681  23 

Force-main  to  Subsiding  Reservoirs,  two  lines  of  60-inch  pipe.  . .  477,112  16 

Subsiding  Reservoirs,  six  of  50,000,000  gallons  capacity  each. . . .  1,047,420  07 

Filters,  eleven  of  6,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity  each.. .  948,782  64 

Conduit-pipe  from  Clear  Well  to  High-service  Pumping-station, 

three  lines  of  60-inch  pipe . . .  69,199  20 

High-service  Pumping-station,  to  accommodate  six  triple  expan¬ 
sion  pumping-engines  of  20,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity, 
each .  157,494  67 

Rising  Mains  to  High-level  Reservoirs,  two  lines  of  60-inch  pipe.  258,006  52 

•  High-level  Distributing  Reservoirs,  two  of  100,000,000  gallons 

capacity  each .  808,239  00 

Conduit-line  from  High-level  Reservoir  to  Eden-Park  Re;ervoir, 

one  line  of  78-inch  cast-iron  pipe .  1,045,183  25 

Pumping-machinery,  eight  triple  expansion  pumping-engines  of 

20,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity  each,  with  boilers  complete.  760,000  00 

Engine  and  Boiler  Foundations . .• -  65,124  04 

5,886,242  78 

Engineering  and  Superintendence;  Items  not  taken  in  detail; 

Contingencies  and  Expense .  .  588,624  28 

Total  cost .  $6,474,867  06 


5° 


66 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIXES 


TO  ACCOMPANY  REPORT. 


Appendix  A. 

“  B. 

“  C. 

“  D. 

“  E. 

u  y, 

“  G. 

“  H. 

“  I. 

“  J. 

“  K. 

“  L. 

“  M. 

“  N. 

“  O. 

p' 

“  Q. 

“  R. 

“  S. 


Daily  Consumption  of  Water. 

Typhoid-Fever  Statistics. 

Analyses  of  Water  in  Cincinnati  and  vicinity. 

Comparison  of  Cost  of  Pumping  Water  in  Cincinnati  and  other 
Cities. 

Comparison  of  Cost  of  Pumping  by  Present  and  Proposed 
Machinery. 

Estimate,  of  Cost  of  Pumping-stations. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Engine  Foundations. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Intake  Pier  and  Tunnel  at  California. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Force-mains  from  Pumping  station  at  Five- 
mile  Creek. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Subsiding  Reservoirs. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Filters  and  Clear  Well. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Rising  Pipes. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Distributing  Reservoirs. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Conduit-line. 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Cumberland-Plateau  Project. 

Comparison  of  Cost  of  large  Subsiding  Reservoirs  with  the  Cost 
of  Subsiding  Reservoirs  of  medium  capacity  combined  with 
Filters. 

Experiments  on  Sedimentation  by  Mr.  Edward  Flad.  C.  E. 

Data  from  Driven  Wells  in  vicinity  of  Cincinnati. 

Excerpt  from  Report  of  Academy  of  Medicine. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


67 


APPENDIX  A. 


DAILY  CONSUMPTION  OF  WATER  IN  THE  LARGE  CITIES  OF 

THE  UNITED  STATES,  1895. 


CITY. 

POPULATION 

SUPPLIED 

AVERAGE 

PER  CAPITA 
CONSUMPTION 

CINCINNATI,  OHIO . 

330,000 

134.7 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y . 

1,850,000 

100 

CHICAGO,  ILL . 

1,800,000 

139 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA . 

1,329,957 

162 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y . 

860,000 

89 

BOSTON,  MASS . 

601,000 

100 

ST.  LOUIS,  MO . 

560,000 

98 

BUFFALO,  N.  Y . 

340,000 

271 

CLEVELAND,  OHIO . 

312,000 

142 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C . 

270,519 

200 

DETROIT,  MICH . 

264,000 

152 

MILWAUKEE,  WIS . 

250,000 

101 

NEWARK,  N.  J . 

225,000 

100 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN . 

200,000 

88 

JERSEY  CITY,  N.  J . . . 

180,000 

100 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I . 

157,000 

57 

ST.  PAUL,  MINN . 

150,000 

60 

LOUISVILLE,  KY . 

145  000 

97 

DENVER,  COL . 

140,000 

285 

ALBANY,  N.  Y . 

100,000 

180 

LOWELL,  MASS . 

91,000 

76 

NASHVILLE,  TENN . 

87,000 

139 

TOLEDO,  OHIO . 

81,000 

66 

WILMINGTON,  DEL . 

72,000 

86 

DAYTON,  OHIO . 

62,000 

77 

GRAND  RAPIDS,  MICH . 

60,000 

202 

MEMPHIS,  TENN . 

40,000 

31 

ATLANTA,  GA . 

30,000 

116 

JITED  STATES  AND  EUROPE 


<  JOHN  W.  HILL, 

i  Engineer,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

NG. 


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330,000 

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114 

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134 

310,000 

43 

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169 

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153 

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112 

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36 

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187 

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71 

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56 

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15 

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175,000 

60 

190 

137 

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76 

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84 

145 

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72 

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34 

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153,000 

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32 

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87.000 

32 

41 

87.500 

47 

APPENDIX  B 


TYPHOID-FEVER  STATISTICS  FROM  THE  PRINCIPAL  CITIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  EUROPE 


COMPILED  FROM 

Official  Reports  of  Health  Departments. 


JANUARY,  1896. 


By  JOHN  W.  HILL, 

Consulting  Engineer,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


DEATH-RATE  PER  100,000  OF  POPULATION  LIVING. 


CITIES 


New  York,  N.  Y.... 

Chicago,  Ill . 

Philadelphia,  Pa  . . . 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y . 

St.  Louis,  Mo."? . 

Boston,  Mass . 

Baltimore,  Md . 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. . . 
Cleveland,  Ohio... 

Buffalo,  N.  Y . 

New  Orleans,  La. . 
Washington,  D.  C. 

Pittsburg,  Pa . 

Detroit,  Mich 
Milwaukee,  Wis. . . 

^Newark,  N.  J . 

Jersey  City,  N.  J . . 
Louisville,  Ivy  .... 
Providence,  R.  I. . . 
Indianapolis,  lnd. . 

Lowell,  Mass . 

Lawrence,  Mass. . . 
Nashville,  Tenn. . . 
Dayton,  Ohio  ....'. 

Covington,  Ivy . 

tNewport,  Ivy . 

Toronto,  Ont . 

Denver,  Colo . 

London,  Eng . 


Liverpool,  Eng. . . 
Manchester,  Eng. 
Edinburgh.  Scot. 
Glasgow,  Scot. . . . 
Dublin,  Ire . 

Paris,  France . 


SOURCE  OF  SUPPLY 


\ 


Bronx  | 


Brussels  (with  suburbs),  Belg . 

Amsterdam,  Hoi . 

Rotterdam,  Hoi . 

The  Hague,  Hoi . 

Copenhagen,  Den . 

Stockholm,  Swe . 

Christiania,  Nor . 

St.  Petersburg,  Rus . 

Moscow,  Rus . . 

Berlin,  Ger . 

Hamburg  (State),  Ger . J 

Altona,  Ger;. . 

Dresden,  <  ler . 

Breslau,  Ger . 

Munich,  Ger . 

Vienna  (with  suburbs),  Aust.-Hung.. 

Prague,  Aust.-Hung . 

Buda-pest,  Aust.-Hung . 

Trieste,  Aust.-Hung . 

Rome,  Italy . 

Milan,  Italy . 

Turin,  Italy . 

Venice,  Italy . 

Cairo,  Egypt . 

Alexandria,  Egypt . 

Sydney  (with  suburbs),  Aust . 

Brisbane  (with  suburbs),  Aust . 


Impounded  water  from  Croton  and 

rivers . 

Lake  Michigan . 

Schuylkill  and  Delaware  rivers .... 

Imp’d  water  and  from  open  and  driven  wells . . 

Mississippi  River . 

Lake  Cochituate  and  Sudbury  River 

Gunpowder  River  and  Lake  Roland . 

Impounded  water  from  mountain  streams. . 

Ohio  River . 

Lake  Erie . 

Niagara  River,  at  head . 

Drinking  water  from  tanks  and  cisterns. 

Potomac  River . 

Allegheny  River . . 

Detroit  River . . . 

Lake  Michigan  . 

Impounded  water  from  Pequannock  River .  . 

Passaic  River . 

Ohio  River . 

Pawtuxet  River . 

Driven  wells . 

Driven  wells  and  Merrimac  River . 

Filtered  water  from  Merrimac  River . 

Filter  gallery,  Cumberland  River . 

Driven  wells . 

Ohio  River . 

Ohio  River . 

Lake  Ontario . 

South  Platte  River . 

f  Kent  wells,  and  filtered  water  from  Thames  \ 

\  and  Lea  rivers . . j 

Lake  Vyrnwy  (Wales) . 

Lake  Thirlmere  (Cumberland) . 

Impounded  water  from  Pentland  Hills . 

Lock  Katrine . 

Impounded  water  filtered,  River  Vartry . . 

I  Rivers  Seine,  Marne  and  Yanne ;  Ourcq  \ 
\  Canal ;  Artesian  wells  and  springs . . . .  J 


ae 

CCS 


1100 


461 


Haarlem  Dunes . 

Filtered  water  from  River  Mease. 
From  the  sand  dunes . 


Filtered  water  from  River  Neva . 

f  Mytschi  Springs  and  ponds  ;  Moscov  and  \ 

1  Yanza  rivers . 1 

Filtered  water,  River  Spree  and  Lake  Tegel . . 

Filtered  water  from  River  Elbe . 

Filter  gallery  by  River  Elbe . 

Filter  gallery  by  River  Elbe . 

Filtered  water  from  River  Oder . 

Spring  water  from  Mangfall  Valley . 

Springs  in  the  Schneeberg . 


Ground  water  from  wells. 


Fontanadi  Trevi,  Aqua  Felice  and  Poali.. . 


River  Nile,  by  canal . 

River  Nile,  by  canal . 

Impounded  water  from  Upper  Nepean  River 


358 


100 


193 


907 


*  East  Jersey  Water  Co.,  Established  April  15,  1892. 


t  Health  Department, 


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465,517 

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406,302 

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417,539 

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426,914 

15 

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12 

203,486 

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209,136 

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156,497 

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513,010 

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137 

526,263 

26 

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160,092 

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156,190 

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157,343 

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148 

417,392 

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427,684 

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1,891,306 

1,600,000 

1,115,562 

990.891 
500,000 
487,397 
473,193 
330,000 
310,000 
322,932 
300,000 
254,000 
285,000 
264,000 
230,000 
260,000 
198,115 
175,000 
161,000 
148,944 
125,000 

87,191 

48,355 

85,000 

75,000 

45,000 

27,500 

188,333 

125,000 

4,306,411 

510,514 

515,598 

267,261 

677,883 

349,594 

2,424,705 

488,188 

437.892 
222,233 

169.828 
337,500 
249,246 
161,151 
954,400 

753,469 

1 ,714,938 
634,878 
146,667 
308,930 
353,551 
385,000 
1,435,931 
327,953 
539,516 
158,314 
449,430 

430.829 
334,090 
163,601 
374,838 
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1,045,000 

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307 

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103 

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393 

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114 

330,000 

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330,000 

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169 

336,000 

50 

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120 

336,000 

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275,000 

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247 

70 

267,500 

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190 

137 

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322 

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106 

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, 

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283 

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4,349,166 

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297 

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520,211 

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270,588 

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164 

686,820 

24 

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552,769 

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335,957 

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.... 

Established  1893. 


sf  ATI 


APPENDIX  C. 


TABLE  OF  ANALYSES  OF  WATERS— CINCINNATI  AND  VICINITY. 


IN  PARTS  PER  100,000. 


oc 


LjJ 

o 

< 

t— 

GO 


8'- 

87- 

87- 

8'- 

4'- 

57- 

4'- 

57- 

57- 

57- 

57- 

8/ 

147- 

147 

197- 

227 

22/- 

227- 

177- 

3'- 

3' 

3" 


477 

477 

4// 

477 

6" 

277 

10'' 

677 

677 

677 

6" 

1077 

l77 

l77 

■1077 

-  777 
?// 

7// 

0" 
677 
677 
677 


57- 

47- 

47- 

57- 

47- 

~/ 


87- 

16'- 

187- 

287- 

41'- 

6'- 

5'- 

4'- 

4'- 

57- 

4'- 

5'- 

6'- 

8'- 

19'- 

18'- 

33'- 


2" 

6" 

8" 

3" 

7" 

5" 

4" 

0" 

5" 

0" 

O'7 

o77 

477 

277 

6" 

877 

377 

7'7 

r/7 

877 

O77 

677 

C77 

377 


197-  O77 
217-  677 
217-  977 
7‘ 


LOCATION 


Cincinnati,  Ohio  . Pumping- works. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Reservoir 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Storrs . 

Markley  Farm,  Ohio . 

Dayton,  Ky . Sandbar . 

Dayton,  Ky . T\  . .  .Sandbar . 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Storrs . 

Dayton,  Ky . Sandbar . 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Pumping-works 

Cincinnati,  Ohio. . . . .  .Storrs 


Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park _ 

Markley  Farm,  Ohio .  ... 

Dayton,  Ky . Sandbar . 

Markley  Farm,  Ohio . 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Pumping-works 

Cincinnati,  Ohio  _  Storrs . 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Markley  Farm,  Ohio . 

Dayton,  Ky . Sandbar. . 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Pumping-station 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . 3  miles  above  Miami 

Sewage . 


Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

Cincinnati,  Ohio . Eden  Park 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

California,  Ohio . 

Linwood,  Ohio . 


Cincinnati,  Ohio. . . . 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. . . . 

Covington,  Ky . 

Covington,  Ky . 

Columbus,  Ohio 

Columbus,  Ohio . 

Dayton,  Ohio . 

Eaton,  Ohio . 

Lebanon,  Ohio . 

Lebanon,  Ohio . 

St.  Bernard,  Ohio. . . 
St.  Bernard,  Ohio.. . 

Franklin,  Ohio . 

Glendale,  Ohio . 

Wyoming,  Ohio. . . . 

Carthage,  Ohio . 

Norwood,  Ohio . 


.Eden  Park. 

.  Pumping-works 
.  Pumping- works 
.  Pumping-works 
.East  Side 
,  West  Side 


.No 

.No 


7 

12 


SOURCE 


.Oh 


Oh 


o  River 

LL 


L  l 
L. 
LL 

a 

LI 
Li 
L  i 
Li 
LC 
Li 
U 


Li 
L L 


10  Ri\ 


LI 

LL 


LI 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 


er 


DrivenWells 
.Ohio  River. 


DrivenWells 
Scioto  River 
DrivenWells 


LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 


DATE 

AMMONIAS 

NITRATES 

NITRITES 

CHLORINE 

OXYGEN 

CONSUMED 

SOLIDS 

FREE 

ALBUM’D 

<c 

t— 

0 

1— 

VOLATILE 

NON 

VOLATILE 

TOTAL 

1880. 

.  .Sept.  17 

.0047 

.0218 

.0265 

.62 

2.82 

6.96 

9.78 

1880. 

. .  “  17 

.0045 

.0214 

.0259 

.75 

3.16 

11.22 

14.38 

1880. 

..  “  17 

.0132 

.0150 

.0282 

.70 

3.96 

9.16 

13.12 

1880. 

. .  “  18 

.0016 

.0121 

.0137 

.22 

2.94 

8.20 

11 .14 

1880 

..  “28 

.0083 

.0099 

.0182 

.27 

2.58 

7.76 

10.34 

1880 

..Oct.  4 

.0099 

.0087 

.0186 

.22 

4.64 

8.96 

13.60 

1880 

..  “  16 

.0118 

.0236 

.0354 

.77 

3.96 

9.16 

1 3 . 12 

1880 

. .  Nov.  1 

.0054 

.0075 

.0129 

.25 

2.60 

9  32 

11.92! 

1880 

..  “  1 

.0050 

.0156 

.0206 

1 .33 

4.66 

11.14 

15.80 

1880 

. .  “  1 

.0180 

.0198 

.0378 

1.16 

2.70 

11.10 

13.80 

1880 

“  1 

.0231 

.0200 

.0431 

.91 

2.18 

11.68 

13.86 

1880 

LL  Q 

.  .  O 

.0015 

.0024 

.0039 

.39 

2.54 

13.68 

15.70 

1880 

..  “  9 

.0040 

.0244 

.0284 

.30 

1 .70 

7.82 

9.52 

1880 

. .  “  9 

.0042 

.0628 

.0670 

.83 

3.32 

12  44 

15.76 

1880 

. .  Dec.  3 

.0076 

.1366 

.1442 

.44 

6.80 

11.06 

17.86 

1880 

“  4 

.0262 

.  1200 

.1462 

.34 

4.02 

13.84 

17  86 

1880 

. .  “  4 

.0209 

.0728 

.0937 

.64 

3.20 

10.38 

13.58 

1880 

.  .  “  4 

.0080 

.0420 

.0500 

.43 

2  72 

16.38 

19  10 

1880 

..  “  14 

.0031 

.0170 

.0201 

.41 

2.38 

11 .00 

13  38 

1887 

.  .Oct.  — 

.0128 

.0097 

.0225 

1.85 

7.50 

9.20 

16  70 

1887 

LL 

.0180 

.0084 

.0264 

1.76 

6.10 

10.70 

16  80 

1887 

LL  _ 

.0054 

.0074 

.0128 

1.70 

5.40 

10.30 

15  70 

1887 

LL 

.7200 

1  1150 

1  8350 

3  40 

Q' 9  90 

i  91  TO 

OAQ  ££ 

1891 

\  .’Oct.  2 

.0009 

.0035 

.0041 

.0310 

1.56 

.14 

4.05 

10.15 

ZUo .  D 

14.2 

1891 

..  “  10 

.0018 

.0042 

.0060 

.0398 

1.25 

.09 

3.0 

14.9 

17.9 

1891 

..  “  16 

.0020 

.0065 

.0085 

.0443 

1.25 

.15 

5.2 

12.6 

17.8 

1891 

..  “23 

.0015 

.0078 

.0093 

.0487 

1 . 15 

.18 

7.3 

9.8 

17.1 

1891 

. .  “28 

.0007 

.0029 

.0036 

.0308 

1.40 

.12 

6.8 

10.4 

17.8 

1891 

..Nov.  4 

.0101 

.0085 

.0186 

.0308 

1 .56 

.15 

6.0 

12.8 

18.8 

1891 

. .  “  10 

.0064 

.0185 

.0249 

.0268 

1.20 

.25 

9.3 

49.1 

58.4 

1891 

. .  “  18 

.  0055 

.0096  . 

.0151 

.0443 

1.78 

.31 

7.5 

18.9 

26.4 

1891 

..  “  25 

.0174 

.0108 

.0282 

.0442 

1.05 

.46 

10.1 

72.1 

82.2 

1891 

.  .Dec.  15 

.0105 

.0150 

.  0255 

.0428 

1.09 

.47 

8.8 

55.5 

64.4 

1892 

.  .Jan.  15 

.0022 

.0182 

.0204 

.0748 

1.40 

.25 

10.8 

21.6 

32.4 

1892 

..  “  18 

.0041 

.0174 

.0215 

.07 

04 

1 .24 

.36 

13.6 

42.1 

54.8 

1891 

.  .Sept. 26 

.0000 

.0011 

.0011 

.0398 

1.36 

.18 

4.2 

10.0 

14.2 

1891 

. .  Oct.  2 

.0004 

.0099 

.0103 

.0266 

1 .40 

4.5 

9.5 

14.0 

1891 

“  9 

.0002 

.0015 

.0017 

.0389 

1.15 

.14 

3.7 

9.8 

13.5 

1891 

. .  “  16 

.0006 

.0009 

.0015 

.0354 

1.15 

.14 

3.6 

9.3 

12.9 

1891 

. .  “23 

.0001 

.0012 

.0013 

.0343 

1.15 

.  11 

3.1 

9.1 

19  9 

1891 

..  “28 

.0001 

.0025 

.0026 

.0396 

1  .40 

.16 

3.5 

9.2 

12.7 

1891 

..Nov.  4 

.0027 

.0105 

.0132 

.0376 

1.40 

.14 

4.1 

12.0 

16.1 

1891 

..  “  11 

.0062 

.0120 

.0182 

.0484 

1.25 

.18 

5.5 

22.1 

27.6 

1891 

..  “  18 

.0067 

.0122 

.0189 

.05 

32 

1 .35 

6.1 

18.0 

24.1 

1891 

. .  “26 

.0103 

.0081 

.0184 

.0420 

1.05 

.40 

9.2 

53.1 

62.3  1 

1891 

. .  Dec.  15 

.0125 

.0075 

.0200 

.0489 

1 .05 

.36 

6.1 

43.9 

50.0 

1892 

.  .Jan.  15 

.0101 

.0190 

.0291 

.0605 

1.36 

.34 

8.0 

10.0 

18.0 

1893 

.0033 

.0067 

.0100 

.0067 

1.10 

7.29 

27.87 

35.16 

1896 

..Feb.  2 

.0034 

.0360 

.0394 

.  1300 

.0005 

1.60 

18  6 

1896 

.  .Jan.  31 

.0032 

.0250 

.0282 

Traces 

Traces 

2.10 

18  8 

1896 

. .  “  29 

.0032 

.0350 

.0382 

Traces 

Traces 

18  0 

1896 

..  “  30 

.0036 

.0320 

.0356 

Traces 

.0004 

I  .65 

18  0 

1892 

. 

.0430 

.0170 

.0600 

.  1930 

.0010 

.24 

.10 

52.0 

1892 

. 

.0010 

.0080 

.0090 

.6.550 

Traces 

.99 

.21 

51  7 

1886 

.0032 

.0097 

.0129 

9  50 

ft  Qfl 

OO  OI 

1891. 

. 

.3745 

.0000 

.3745 

.0000 

.0000 

.98 

2.00 

29 . 85 

00.0I 

31 . 85 

1895. 

.  .June — ■ 

.0185 

.0000 

.0185 

.0000 

.0000 

7.30 

56  93 

1895. 

. .  “  19 

.0170 

.0003 

.0173 

.0000 

.0000 

2.00 

40  53 

1894. 

.0165 

.0160 

.0325 

.3220 

1  10 

8.33 

40.19 

IQ  IO 

1896. 

.  .Jan.  19 

.0020 

.0005 

.0025 

.0000 

.0000 

1  .  10 

~±0 . 1  V 

45  7 0 

1887. 

. 

.0016 

.0021 

.0037 

•  •  •  •  • 

1.04 

17.92 

28.02 

45 . 94 

1892. 

. .  Sept.  5 

2  45 

01  an 

1896. 

. .Jan.  23 

.0160 

.0017 

.0177 

Traees 

.0000 

.95 

. 

Oi  .0/ 

35  70 

1896. 

. .  “23 

.0080 

.0015 

.0950 

.0000 

.0000 

1.00 

42  40 

1896. 

..  “28 

.0240 

.0000 

.0240 

Traces 

.0000 

2.20 

. 

. 

. 

40.50 

o 

DC 


.2700 

.2400 

^2800 

2.6000 


.9570 


Traces 

1  .*  3800 
0020 
.0022 
.0015 


HARDNESS 


<c 

1— 

o 


10.8 

11.7 

10.0 

9.1 

12.8 
12.8 
10.0 
12.6 
14.3 
14.5 
15.8 

14.3 
12.0 

10.3 

11.7 

8.1 

12.8 
8.1 

13.7 


16.50 

2.30 

2.40 

2.29 

2.18 


29.28 
26 . 55 
35.24 

35.50 

36.40 

22.89 

17.38 

31.00 

32.50 
28.70 


QC 

UJ 

Q_ 


AUTHORITY 


REMARKS 


C.  R.  Stuntz 


LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

L> 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 

LL 


C.  R.  Holmes  and  C.  Langenbeck 

LL 


W.  Dickore 

LL 


.40 

.10 

.39 

.38 


9.71 

15.82 

3.04 

1.70 

4166 

14.38 

2.66 

1.00 

2.80 


1.90 
2.00 
1  .90 
1.80 


20.57 
10.73 
32.2(1 
33 . 80 

32.40 

8.51 

29.00 

31.50 

25.90 


n 

ti 


1 < 
LL 


L  L 
LL 


From  intake  pier. 


No  rain  during  this  period. 


J 


W.  Simonson 


. .  C.  C.  Howard  . . 

LL 

...  C.  R.  Stuntz  . . . 

LL 

. .  W.  Simonson  . . 


Dickore  and  Morgan 
. .  W.  Simonson  . . . 
. . .  C.  R.  Stuntz 


W.  Simonson 


LL 

LL 


Some  rain  two  days  before. 
After  heavy  rain,  water  muddy. 
Cold  weather;  water  muddy. 
Very  muddy  and  rising. 

Very  muddy. 

Not  very  muddy. 

Very  muddy. 


No  rain  during  this  period;  river  low  and 
water  very  clear. 


Some  rain  two  days  before. 

After  heavy  rain,  water  muddy. 

Cold  weather;  wafer  muddy. 

Very  muddy  and  rising. 

Very  muddy. 

Not  very  muddy,  river  full  of  ice  and  snow. 


Calcium,  33.62 ;  magnesium,  8.03. 

Galleries  in  the  Scioto  River. 

No  free  sulphur. 

Calcium,  magnesium  and  alumina  present. 
Magnesium  and  alumina  present. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


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69 


The  expense  for  coal  will  vary  with  the  duty  of  the  machinery.  The  expense  for  wages  will  vary  with  the  capacity  of  the  engines. 


70 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIX  E. 

COMPARISON  OF  COST  OF  PUMPING  TO  RESERVOIRS  BY  PRESENT 
PUMPING-MACHINERY  AND  THE  PUMPING-MACHINERY 
PROPOSED  BY  THE  COMMISSION. 

Calculated  upon  Single  Pumping  to  an  Average  Head  of  228  Feet. 

Average  daily  consumption,  1894  (from  latest  published  report)  41,355,800  galls. 

Average  daily  consumption,  1936  (estimated) .  71,500,000  “ 

Average  daily  consumption  next  forty  years .  56,427,900  “ 

Cost  of  fuel  for  pumping  to  reservoirs  (1894) .  $70,289  77 

Proportionate  cost  for  pumping  56,427,900  gallons  per  day.  . .  96,043  30 

Present  average  ‘‘duty”  of  pumping  machinery  pumping  to 

reservoirs .  33,000,000 

Duty  guranteed  by  new  machinery  by  year  with  Pittsburg 

coal,  (110,000,000),  say . .  .  100,000,000 

Estimated  cost  for  fuel  pumping  56,427,900  gallons  to  same 

head  as  at  present,  with  new  machinery .  $31,694  29 

Difference  in  cost  of  fuel .  64,349  01 

Annual  cost  of  labor  for  pumping  41,355,800  gallons  per  day 

at  present  works .  77,770  40 

Proportionate  cost  for  pumping  56,427,900  gallons  per  day..  . .  106,113  78 

Average  annual  cost  of  labor  for  pumping  1,000,000  gallons 
daily  by  modern  machinery  in  the  waterworks  of  Phila¬ 
delphia,  St.  Louis,  Buffalo,  and  Detroit .  489  52 

Annual  estimated  cost  of  labor  for  pumping  56,427,900  gal¬ 
lons  per  day  by  new  machinery  at  $489  52 .  27,622  63 

Difference  in  cost  of  labor .  78,491  15 

Interest  and  sinking  fund  at  4  per  cent  for  40  years  for  present 

machinery  (80,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity),  $717,569. ..  33,402  84 

Interest  and  sinking  fund  at  4  per  cent  for  40  years  for  pro¬ 
posed  new  machinery  (80,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity 

$500,000.00 .  25,260  00 

Difference  in  fixed  charges .  8,142  84 

Annual  total  difference  (saving)  in  fuel,  wages,  and  fixed 

charges  in  favor  of  new  machinery .  150,9^3  00 

Capitalized  at  4  per  cent  for  forty  years .  2,988,353  67 

The  value  of  the  old  pumping  engines  is  based  upon  the  cost  of  Engines 
Nos.  4-12  inclusive,  and  the  value  of  the  boilers  is  based  on  3553  H.  P.  (with 
one-third  reserve  capacity)  at  $12.50  per  H.  P. 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION.  71 


APPENDIX  F. 

PUMPING-STATIONS. 

LOW  SERVICE. 

One  engine-room,  94  X  170  ;  two  boiler-rooms,  96  X  80. 

f 

47.515.60  cubic  yards  excavation,  engine-room . at  $1  00  $47,515  60 

1,610.33  cubic  yards  excavation,  boiler-rooms . at  30  483  10 

2,101.82  cubic  yards  concrete . at  5  00  10,509  10 

16,994.81  cubic  yards  masonry . at  6  00  101,968  86 

2,268  square  feet  dressing,  18  gate  openings . at  50  1,134  00 

1,508.38  square  feet  dressing,  11  doorways . at  50  754  19 

18  gates  complete  . . at  500  00  9,000  00 

3,264  square  feet  concrete  flooring  in  boiler-rooms . at  1  00  3,264  00 

21,032  brick  in  2  flues,  25  feet  long . at  12  00  252  38 

Estimated  cost  of  superstructure .  74,800  00 


Total  cost  of  station .  $249,681  23 

HIGH  SERVICE. 

One  engine-room,  94  X  170  ;  two  boiler-rooms,  96  X  80. 

26,790.4  cubic  yards  excavation,  engine-room . at  75  $20,092  80 

2.222.8  cubic  yards  excavation,  boiler-rooms . at  30  966  84 

1,944.65  cubic  yards  concrete . at  5  00  9,723  25 

5.430.9  cubic  yards  masonry . at  6  00  38,585  40 

1,620  square  feet  dressing,  18  gate  openings . at  50  810  00 

18  gates  complete . ....at  500  00  9,000  00 

3,264  square  feet  concrete  flooring . at  1  00  3,264  00 

21,032  brick  in  2  flues,  25  feet  long . at  12  00  252  38 

Estimated  cost  of  superstructure .  74,800  00 


Total  cost .  $157,494  67 


72 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIX  Gr. 

ENGINE  FOUNDATIONS. 


Four  foundations  for  low-service  engines. 

2,607.4  cubic  yards  concrete . at  $5  00 

7,040  cubic  feet  coping . at  2  00 

Cost  for  one  foundation .  $6,779  25 

Four  foundations  for  high-service  engines. 

2,085.92  cubic  yards  concrete . at  $5  00 

7,040  cubic  feet  coping .  . at  2  00 

I 

Cost  for  one  foundation .  $6,127  40 


BOILER  FOUNDATIONS. 

Eight  foundations  for  low-service  pumping-station. 

200  cubic  yards  excavation . at  $  25 

1,696.24  cubic  yards  masonry . at  6  00 

Cost  for  one  foundation .  $1,278  43 

Eight  foundations  for  high-service  pumping-station. 

600  cubic  yards  excavation . at  $  25 

520  cubic  yards  masonry .  . at  6  00 


13,037  00 
14,080  00 

$27,117  00 


10,429  60 
14,080  00 

$24,509  60 


50  00 
10,177  44 

$10,227  44 

150  00 
3,120  00 

$3,270  00 
$65,124  04 


Cost  for  one  foundation . 

Total  for  engine  and  boiler  foundations. 


$408  75 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


73 


APPENDIX  H. 


INTAKE  PIER  AND  TUNNEL  AT  CALIFORNIA, 

ON 

KENTUCKY 

SIDE  OF  RIVER. 

Intake  Pier. 

229.07  cubic  yards  rock  excavation . 

1,374  42 

1,476.5  square  feet  rough  pointing  of  masonry. 

. .  .at 

25 

369  13 

209.56  cubic  yards  concrete .  . 

5  00 

1,047  80 

6,772.85  cubic  yards  masonry . 

10  00 

67,728  50 

666.72  cubic  feet  coping . 

1  50 

1,000  08 

930  superficial  feet  dressing  port  holes . 

50 

465  00 

Gate-house . 

2,500  00 

10  sluice  gates  and  gearing . 

5,000  00 

Iron  ladder . 

60  00 

79,544  93 

2,470  lineal  feet  tunnel  from  intake  on  Kentucky  side  of 
river  to  pumping  station,  12  feet  diameter,  lined  with 
four  rings  of  brick  ;  tunnel  to  pass  120,000,000  gallons 


in  24  hours . 

172,900  00 

252,444  93 

4,325  lineal  feet  of  force-main  (2  lines  of 

60-inch  pipe). 

4,100.68  tons . 

98,416  32 

4,325  lineal  feet  pipe  laying  X  2 . 

30,275  00 

36.3  tons  special  castings . 

1,815  00 

3.72  acres  right  of  way . 

. at  300  00 

1,116  00 

$384,067  25 

74 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIX  I. 


FORCE-MAIN  FROM  PUMPING-STATION  AT  FIVE-MILE  CREEK 
TO  SUBSIDING  RESERVOIRS,  AND  COMPARISON  OF  COST  OF 
INTAKE  PIER,  TUNNEL  AND  FORCE-MAIN,  KENTUCKY  PLAN, 
AND  LOCATION  OF  INTAKE  AT  FIVE-MILE  CREEK  AND 
FORCE-MAIN  THROUGH  NEW  RICHMOND  PIKE. 


Length  of  force-main  15,485  feet  =2.9328  miles — sixty-inch  pipe,  two  lines. 


14,681.84  tons . at  $24  00 

15,485  lineal  feet  pipe  laying  X  2 . at  3  50 

36.3  tons  special  castings . at  50  00 

9  stop-gates . at  1000  00 

18.46  acres  right  of  way . at  300  00 


352,364  16 
108,395  00 
1,815  00 
9,000  00 
5,538  00 


Total 


$477,112  16 


Cost  of  force-main  from  Markley  Farm  to  subsiding  reservoirs,  477,112  16 
Cost  of  pier,  tunnel,  and  force-main  from  intake  pier  opposite 

California  to  subsiding  reservoirs .  384,067  25 

Difference  in  favor  of  intake  pier  and  tunnel .  $93,044  91 


APPENDIX  J. 


SUBSIDING  RESERVOIRS  AT  CALIFORNIA,  SIX  RESERVOIRS, 
EACH  50,000,000  GALLONS  CAPACITY;  TOTAL  CAPACITY, 
300,000,000  GALLONS. 


550,256  cubic  yards  rolled  embankment . at  $0  60 

236,434  cubic  yards  waste  material  to  filter  grounds.. at  25 

151,585  cubic  yards  puddle . at  100 

89,674.1  cubic  yards  rock  excavation . at  1  00 

37,800.3  cubic  yards  concrete  pavement . at  5  00 

248.947.8  square  feet  top  pavement . at  12 

4,111.11  cubic  yards  top  soil  outer  slope . at  30 

37,000  square  yards  sodding  outer  slope...., . at  20 

14.209.8  lineal  feet  coping  stone . at  4  00 

14,209.8  lineal  feet  iron  fencing . at  2  00 

8,431  lineal  feet  picket  fencing . at  100 

84.2  acres  grounds  required . » . at  150  00 

61.41  acres  clearing  site  for  work . at  50  00 

Masonry  in  influent  and  effluent  chambers,  pipes, 

valves,  flushing  drains,  etc . 

36.7  tons  special  castings . at  50  00 

6  forty-eight-inch  horizontal  gates . at  700  00 

Total. . . 

Cost  per  million  gallons .  $3,491  40 


330,153  60 
59,108  50 
151,585  00 
89,674  10 
189,001  50 
29,873  74 
1,233  33 
7,400  00 
56,839  20 
28,419  60 
8,431  00 
12,630  00 
3,070  50 

73,965  00 
1,835  00 
4,200  00 

$1,047,420  07 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


75 


APPENDIX  K. 

FILTERS  AND  CLEAR  WELL. 

11  filters,  220X400XH;  clear  well,  148X1180X18. 


ESTIMATE  FOR  ONE  FILTER. 


26,372.5  cubic  yards  excavation . 

$0 

30 

7,911 

75 

4,489.6  cubic  yards  puddle . 

1 

00 

4,489 

60 

1,664.4  cubic  yards  concrete .  .  . 

5 

00 

8,322 

00 

1,834  cubic  yards  masonry . 

7 

50 

13,755 

00 

3,520  cubic  feet  coping . 

1 

50 

5,280 

00 

66,528  brick . 

at 

12 

00 

798 

33 

7,480  lineal  feet  small  vitrified  drains  ...  . 

12 

897 

60 

666.66  cubic  feet  stone  slabs . 

.1 

50 

1,000 

00 

5  regulating  valves . 

00 

1,500 

00 

Pipes,  specials,  and  valves . 

6,196 

74 

8,148.15  cubic  yards  fine  sand . 

at 

1 

00 

8,148 

15 

4,074.07  cubic  yards  coarse  sand.  . . 

1 

00 

4,074 

07 

1,629.63  cubic  yards  small  gravel . 

1 

00 

1,629 

63 

4,074.07  cubic  yards  coarse  gravel .  . . 

1 

00 

4,074 

07 

Total . 

$68,076 

94 

CLEAR  WELL. 

105,956  cubic  yards  excavation . 

$0 

40 

42,382 

40 

14,439  cubic  yards  puddle . 

1 

00 

14,439 

00 

3,704  cubic  yards  concrete . 

. .  at 

5 

00 

18.520 

00 

5,405  cubic  yards  of  masonry . 

.  .  at 

hr 

i 

50 

40,537 

50 

6,660  cubic  feet  coping . 

1 

50 

9,990 

00 

2,664  lineal  feet  iron  fencing . 

.  .  at 

2 

00 

5,328 

00 

Pipes,  specials,  and  valves . 

31,500 

00 

Total . 

162,696 

90 

11  filters . . . 

$68,076 

94 

748,846 

34 

5,206  cubic  yards  concrete  pavement . 

5 

00 

26,030 

00 

4,450.4  cubic  yards  gravel  pavement . 

1 

00 

4,450 

40 

45.06  acres  of  land . 

150 

00 

6,759 

00 

Total . 

$948,782 

64 

Cost  per  acre  of  filtering  area 


$43,126  50 


76 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIX  L. 

CONDUIT-PIPES  FROM  CLEAR  WELL  TO  HIGH-SERVICE 

PUMPING-STATION. 

Length  1,500  Feet. 

Taken  as  three  60-inch  cast-iron  pipes. 


2,133.30  tons  pipe . 

$24  00 

51,199  20 

4,500  lineal  feet  pipe  laying . 

4  00 

18,000  00 

Total .  . 

$69,199  20 

Rising  Pipes,  Route  1. 

Taken  as  2  lines  of  60-inch  cast-iron  pipe- 

—Length 

6,810  feet, 

inclusive  of 

connections  with  reservoirs. 

7,000  tons  pipe . 

$24  00 

168,000  00 

13,620  lineal  feet  pipe  laying . . 

4  50 

61,290  00 

37.9  tons  special  castings . 

50  00 

1,895  00 

5  stop-gates . 

1,000  00 

5,000  00 

325  feet  of  tunnel . 

60  00 

19,500  00 

Total . . 

$255,685  00 

Rising  Pipes,  Route  2. 


7,420  feet  long,  2  lines  of  60-inch 

cast-iron  pipe, 

inclusive 

of  connections 

with 

reservoirs. 

7,626.73  tons  pipe . 

$24  00 

183,041  52 

14,840  lineal  feet  pipelaying . 

4  50 

66,780  00 

63.7  tons  special  castings . 

50  00 

3,185  00 

5  stop- valves . 

1,000  00 

5,000  00 

Total  cost .  . 

$258,006  52 

REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


<  i 


APPENDIX  M. 


DISTRIBUTING  RESERVOIRS,  SALEM  PIKE— TWO  RESERVOIRS, 
EACH  100,000,000  GALLONS  CAPACITY. 


603,000  cubic  yards  rolled  embankment . 

$0 

70 

422,100 

00 

36,180  cubic  yards  rock  excavation .  . . . 

. clt 

1 

10 

39,798 

00 

89,670  cubic  yards  puddle  lining . 

1 

00 

89,670 

00 

22,370  cubic  yards  concrete  pavement . 

5 

00 

111,850 

00 

125,340  square  feet  top  pavement . 

12 

15,040 

80 

4,540  cubic  yards  top  soil  outer  slope . 

30 

1,362 

00 

40,860.5  square  yards  sodding  outer  slope . 

20 

8,172 

10 

6,256.6  lineal  feet  coping  stone . 

4 

00 

25,026 

40 

6,256.6  lineal  feet  iron  fencing . 

2 

00 

12,513 

20 

6,765  lineal  feet  picket  fencing . 

1 

00 

6,765 

00 

92.5  acres  grounds  required . 

150 

00 

13,875 

00 

53  acres  clearing . 

50 

00 

2,650 

00 

6,833  square  yards  macadam,  Salem  Pike.  .  . . 

50 

3,416 

50 

Masonry  in  influent  and  effluent  chambers, 

pipes, 

and  valves . 

52,072 

50 

18.55  tons  special  castings . 

50 

00 

927 

50 

3  sixty-inch  horizontal  gates . 

L000 

00 

3,000 

00 

Total . 

.  $808,239 

00 

Cost  per  million  gallons . 

4,041 

20 

78 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIX  X. 


CONDUIT-LINE  FROM  DISTRIBUTING  RESERVOIR  TO  EDEN- 

PARK  RESERVOIR. 


Cast  iron,  32751  feet  —  6.203  miles  ;  head  52  feet. 


Velocity  for  head  of  52  feet .  6.428 

Discharge  in  cubic  feet  per  second .  213.30 

Velocity  for  head  of  22  feet .  4.17 

Discharge  in  cubic  feet  per  second .  138.274 

Delivery  in  gallons  per  day  for  head  of  52  feet .  137,849,817.6 

Delivery  in  gallons  per  day  for  head  of  22  feet .  89,362,356 


23,843.25  tons  cast-iron  pipe . at  $24  00 

32,751  lineal  feet  pipe  laying . at  4  00 

32,751  lineal  feet  trenching  and  backfill.  . at  5  75 

12,175  lineal  feet  removing  and  repaving  granite,  at  2  14 

3,770  lineal  feet  removing  and  repaving  granite,  .at  1  65 

65  manholes . at  65  00 

10  air-valves  complete . at  58  00 

6  blowouts  complete . at  110  00 

2*  chambers  and  valves . at  2,625  00 

46,200  cubic  yards  embankment,  Crawfish  Creek . .  at  70 

1,480  cubic  yards  concrete  1o  protect  pipe  at  Little 

Miami  River . at  5  00 

Land  damages  and  rights  of  way — 

14.1  acres  land . at  $300  00=  4,230  00 

Improved  property, .  66,663  00 


Total  cost  of  conduit . 

Cost  of  Conduit  estimated  as  steel-riveted  Pipe. 


17,806,623.9  pounds  steel-riveted  conduit . at  $0  05 

32,751  lineal  feet  trenching  and  backfill . at  5  75 

12,175  lineal  feet  repaving  granite . at  2  14 

3,770  lineal  feet  repaving  granite . at  1  65 

65  manholes  complete . at  65  00 

10  air-valves  and  manholes . at  58  00 

11  blowofis  and  valves  complete . at  60  00 

2  chambers  and  valves . at  2,625  00 

46,200  cubic  yards  embankment,  Crawfish  Creek,  .at  70 

1,480  cubic  yards  concrete  to  protect  pipe  at  Lit¬ 
tle  Miami  River . at  5  00 

Land  damages  and  rights  of  way — 

14.1  acres  land . at  $300  00  =  4,230  00 

Improved  property .  66  663  00 


Total  cost  of  conduit 
Cost  of  conduit  of  cast  iron . 


572,238 

00 

131,004 

00 

188,318 

25 

26.054 

50 

6,220 

50 

4,225 

00 

580 

00 

660 

00 

5.250 

00 

32,340 

00 

7,400 

00 

70,893 

00 

$1,045,183 

25 

890,331 

20 

188,318 

25 

26,054 

50 

6,220 

50 

4,225 

00 

580 

00 

660 

00 

5,250 

00 

32,340 

00 

7,400 

00 

70,893 

00 

1,232,272 

45 

1,045,183 

25 

Difference  in  favor  of  cast  iron 


$187,089  20 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


79 


APPENDIX  0. 

CUMBERLAND  PLATEAU  PROJECT. 

Estimated  population  in  1936 .  550,000 

Estimated  daily  per  capita  consumption .  130  gallons. 

Es'imated  daily  consumption .  71,500,000  “ 

Estimated  capacity  of  storage  leservoirs  for  180  days 

consumption. .  12,870,000,000  “ 

Estimated  capacity  for  50%  reserve .  6,435,000,000  “ 

Total  capacity  required .  19,305,000,000  “ 

Least  estimated  available  runoff  from  30  inches  of 

rainfall  per  square  mile . 

Square  miles  required  to  supply  365  x  71,500,000  =  . . . 

Estimated  cost  of  storage  reservoirs  per  million  gallons, 
of  capacity  based  on  the  average  cost  of  10  works 

of  similar  character  for  Philadelphia, . 

Estimated  net  cost  of  storage  works . 

Acreage  required  for  impounding  reservoirs  having  an 
effective  depth  of  30  feet  plus  50%  for  slopes  and 

protection  grounds . 

Land  appropriated  for  storage  purposes,  2,962.45  acres 

at  $5.00  per  acre . 

Tunnel  for  conduit  under  Ohio  River,  1,800  feet  at 

$80.00  per  foot . 

Estimated  elevation  of  flowT-line  of  storage  reservoir 

above  sea-level . 

Elevation  of  division  wall  of  Eden  reservoir,  238  plus 

432 . 

Difference  of  elevation . . 

Estimated  length  of  conduit-line . 

Grade  or  fall  of  conduit  per  mile . 

Estimated  maximum  daily  flow,  1^X550,000X130  — 

Capacity  of  circular  steel-riveted  conduit  pipe,  7/-10// 


effective  diameter  laid  to  grade  of  1  in  2080.4 .  165.95  cubic  ft.  per  sec. 

Velocity  of  flow  in  conduit .  3.415  feet  per  second 

Discharge  in  cubic  feet  per  second .  164.60 

Steel  riveted  pipe  for  an  average  pressure  of  76  pounds, 
double-riveted  longitudinal  seams  and  single-riv¬ 
eted  circular  seams . 

Weight  of  conduit  pipe  per  ring  of  8  feet .  5362  06  pounds 

Weight  per  mile .  3,538,960  “ 


Cost  per  mile,  3,538,960  pounds  at  .04 .  141,558  40 

Cost  of  trenching  per  mile,  5,280  feet,  at  $5.00  per  foot.  26,400  00 


$167,958  40 


130  miles  of  conduit,  at  $167,958.40  .  21,834,592  00 

Tunnel  under  Ohio  River,  1,800  feet  long,  at  $80.00  per 

foot .  144,000  00 

Air-valves,  blowouts,  and  manholes .  30,000  00 


Total  for  Conduit .  $22,008,592  00 


156,397,824  “ 

166.86  square  miles 


$130  00 
$2,509,650  00 


2,962.45  acres 

$14,812  25 

$144,000  00 

1,000  feet 

670  “ 
330  “ 
130  miles 
2.538  feet 
107,250,000  gallons 


80 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


APPENDIX  P. 

COMPARISON  OF  COST  OF  LARGE  SUBSIDING  RESERVOIRS  WITH 
THE  PROPOSED  SMALL  SUBSIDING  RESERVOIRS  AND  FIL¬ 
TERS  OF  60,000,000  GALLONS  DAILY  CAPACITY. 

Reservoirs  capacity  required  for  32  days  subsidence  for 
60,000,000  gallons  average  daily  consumption  (32 


X60,000,000) .  1,920,000,000  gallons 

Cost  of  reservoirs  at  $3,491.40  per  million  gallons  (1,920 

X3,491.40) .  $6,703,488  00 

Cost  of  proposed  reservoirs,  300,000,000  gallons  capacity,  1,047,420  07 

Cost  of  proposed  filters,  60,000,000  gallons  daily  capacity,  948,782  64 

Total  cost  of  purification  works,  as  proposed .  1,996,202  71 

Difference  in  favor  of  combined  subsidence  and  filtration 

as  proposed .  4,707,285  29 

Interest  and  sinking  fund  for  $4,707,285.29  at  4%  for  50 

years . .  219,124  13 

Estimated  annual  expense  of  operating  proposed  filters, 

(4X60X365)  .  87,600  00 

Difference  in  annual  expense  in  favor  of  proposed  subsi¬ 
dence  and  filtration .  131,524  13 


REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


81 


APPENDIX  Q, 

EXPERIMENTS  ON  THE  PRECIPITATION  OF  THE  SUSPENDED 
MATTER  IN  OHIO-RIVER  WATER,  AT  CINCINNATI,  OHIO. 


Table  No.  1. — Silt  Held  in  Suspension. 


No.  of 
sample. 

Date,  1889. 

Hours  of 
settling. 

Silt  held  in  su 
by  weight 

Before  settling. 

spension  parts 
per  1,000. 

After  settling. 

Percentage  of 
Silt  removed 
by  settling. 

4 

Jan.  7 

42.2 

0  3635 

0.1225 

66.3 

2 

9 

47.0 

0.3610 

0.1135 

68.5 

5 

11 

46.3 

0.2350 

0.1435 

38.9 

7 

13 

48.0 

0.1005 

0.0490 

51.2 

8 

15 

47.1 

0.0920 

0.0330 

64.1 

14 

17 

47.3 

0.3900 

0.1305 

66.5 

13 

19 

46.5 

0.1590 

•  •  •  • 

17 

21 

48.2 

0.2011 

0.0932 

53.6 

26 

23 

41.5 

0.0865 

0.0246 

71.5 

24 

25 

30.4 

0.0405 

0.0540 

•  «  •  • 

19 

26 

40.4 

0.0955 

0.0220 

75.9 

29 

29 

5.3 

0.1640 

0.0720 

56.1 

30 

29 

40.3 

0.2235 

0.0580 

74.0 

31 

31 

30.3 

0.2225 

0.1098 

50.6 

33 

Feb.  1 

41.2 

0.3095 

0.0720 

76.8 

34 

3 

31.5 

0.2760 

0.0910 

67.0 

38 

4 

42.0 

0.1900 

0.0445 

76.5 

40 

6 

28.2 

0.1615 

0.0615 

61.9 

43 

7 

40.3 

0.1548 

0.0560 

63.8 

61 

9 

30.3 

0.0555 

0.0325 

39.6 

60 

10 

40.4 

0.0450  . 

0.0220 

51.1 

44 

12 

30.6 

0.0415 

0.0360 

13.2 

62 

13 

41.1 

0.0462 

0.0188 

59.3 

67 

15 

30.2 

0.0665 

0.0125 

81.2 

69 

16 

a9.4 

0.2635 

0.0330 

85.8 

77 

18 

31.0 

0.5425 

0.1287 

76.3 

74 

19 

40.5 

0.5900 

0.1085 

81.6 

75 

21 

31.5 

0.5623 

0.1628 

71.1 

78 

22 

41.2 

0.3780 

0.0945 

750 

80 

24 

29.6 

0.3455 

0.0855 

75  3 

83 

25 

40.3 

0.3811 

0.0930 

75.6 

84 

27 

47.1 

0.2940 

0.0765 

74.0 

•  • 

Mar.  1 

* 

•  •  •  • 

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6° 


82 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


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REPORT  OF  THE  ENGINEER  COMMISSION. 


83 


APPENDIX  S. 

EXCERPT  FROM  A  REPORT  TO  THE  ACADEMY  OF  MEDICINE  OF 
CINCINNATI  BY  A  COMMITTEE  APPOINTED  TO  CONSIDER  THE 
CONDITION  OF  THE  CITY  WATER-SUPPLY,  DATED  NOVEMBER 
25, 1895.  THE  COMMITTEE  CONSISTED  OF  DRS.  STANTON,  CUL¬ 
BERTSON,  FREIBERG,  REED,  AND  REAMY. 

Those  conclusions  with  reference  to  the  supply  of  Cincinnati  are : 

1.  The  present  water-supply  of  Cincinnati  is  dangerously  polluted,  and 
should  be  abandoned  as  soon  as  possible ; 

2.  The  Ohio  River  above  all  local  sources  of  contamination  offers  the  best 
available  supply ;  and 

3.  This  supply  can  not  be  safely  used  without  purification. 

With  these  conclusions  your  committee  is  heartily  in  accord. 

That  the  selection  of  a  proper  water-supply  for  a  city  is  a  matter  not  to  be 
determined  by  medical  men  alone  is  freely  admitted.  They  may,  by  chemical 
and  biological  examinations,  pass  upon  the  quality  of  the  water,  and  when 
dangerous  conditions  exist  place  the  seal  of  condemnation  upon  a  source  of 
supply,  or  demonstrate  evils  the  removal  or  avoidance  of  which  will  present 
problems  for  the  hydraulic  or  civil  engineer  to  solve.  As  we  are  not  merely 
meeting  the  emergency  of  to-day,  but  propose  building  for  the  future  as  well, 
an  undertaking  of  such  magnitude  will  present  problems  that  should  receive 
the  careful  consideration  of  experts  in  sanitary  and  engineering  science. 

That  the  work  will  involve  the  expenditure  of  considerable  money  is  also 
admitted,  but  what  is  a  monetary  consideration  compared  with  a  work  so 
necessary  for  the  health  and  business  prosperity  of  the  city?  From  a  purely 
economic  point  of  view,  it  is  a  work  that  will  richly  repay  us  for  the  money 
outlay  in  increased  comfort  and  improved  healthfulness. 

■£  * 

The  meeting  was  full,  and  expressions  were  all  favorable  to  the  work  of  the 
committee  and  its  satisfactory  report. 

Whereas,  The  committee  appointed  by  the  Academy  of  Medicine  has 
brought  in  a  report  narrating  in  detail  the  conditions  which  make  it  impera¬ 
tive  that  the  city  of  Cincinnati  take  active  measures  to  secure  such  legislation 
as  will  enable  the  municipality  to  proceed  in  such  a  way  as  to  obtain  at  the 
earliest  practicable  time  a  reasonably  pure  water-supply. 

Resolved ,  That  the  city  authorities,  Merchants’  Exchange,  Commercial  Club, 
Board  of  Trade,  Engineers’  Club,  newspaper  press,  and  other  public  organi¬ 
zations,  be  requested  to  actively  co-operate  with  the  Academy  of  Medicine  in 
bringing  this  subject  to  the  attention  of  the  legislature. 


84 


THE  CINCINNATI  WATERWORKS. 


DRAWINGS  SUBMITTED  WITH  REPORT. 


l. 


2-13. 

14. 

15. 

16. 
17. 


18-19-20. 

21. 

22. 

» 

23. 

24. 


25. 


General  Plan  of  proposed  Extension  and  Betterment 
of  City  Waterworks. 

Pumping-stations  and  Foundations. 

Subsiding  Reservoirs  and  Filters. 

Detail  of  Filter. 

High-level  Distributing  Reservoirs. 

Conduit-line,  Plans,  and  Profile. 

Pumping-machinery. 

Boilers  and  Furnaces,  Position  of. 

Intake  Pier  and  Tunnel. 

Section  of  Little  Miami  River  upon  line  of  conduit. 
Section  of  Driven  Wells  in  vicinity  of  Cincinnati. 
Pumping-engine  Economy. 


m 

No.  i. 


No.  i. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 


ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 

Cincinnati,  O. 


GENERAL  PLAN. 


Rinxitf  of  Concha/  RomJCcUn-Rirk  RtStr^ir 
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No. 


No.  2. 


rn 


No. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 
Cincinnati,  O. 


PUMPING- STATION. 


REAR  ELEVATION. 


No 


k 


4  • 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 

Cincinnati,  O. 


No.  4. 


PUMPING-STATION. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 
Cincinnati,  O. 


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No.  5. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 


PU M PI NG  =  STATION.  N°’ 5 


Cincinnati  O. 


SIDE  VIEW, 


ENG 


No.  6 


ON  EXT 
Ol- 


I. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OE  CITY  WATERWORKS, 
Cincinnati,  O. 


No.  6. 


PUMPING-STATION. 


TRANSVERSE  SECTION 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 
Cincinnati  O. 


No.  7. 

PUMPING-STATION. 


LONGITUDINAL  SECTION. 


No.  8. 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

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Cincinnati,  O. 

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No.  9. 


PLAN  OF  SECOND  FLOOR  AND  ROOF. 


1 


No.  10. 


i. 


ENG 


PUMPING-STATION. 


ON 


No.  io. 


LOW  SERVICE  PUMPING-STATION. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS 

Cincinnati,  O. 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

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Cincinnati,  O. 


HIGH-SERVICE  PUMPING-STATION. 


No.  12. 


\ 


No.  12. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 

Cincinnati,  O. 


PUMPING-STATION. 


\ 


\ 


ELEVATION. 


59-o 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 


No.  13 


ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS 

Cincinnati,  O. 


PUMPING-STATION. 


No 


SUBSIDING  RESERVOIRS  AND  FILTERS. 


engineer  commission 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATER  WORKS, 
Cincinnati,  6. 


No.  14. 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

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Cincinnati,  O. 


No.  16. 


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No.  17 


PLAN  AND  PROFILE  OF  CONDUIT-LINE  FROM  DISTRIBUTING  RESERVOIR  TO  EDEN  PARK. 


No.  18. 


No.  18 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT  PUMPING- MACHINERY. 

OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 

Cincinnati  O. 


PLAN 


No.  19 


ENGINEE 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION, 

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Pumping^  Machinery. 


No.  19 


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No.  20. 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 

Cincinnati,  O. 


Pumping- Machinery. 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

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Cincinnati,  O. 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

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Cincinnati,  O. 


ENGTNEI 


No.  23. 


ON  EXTENSIC 


No.  2 3 


ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 
Cincinnati,  O. 


Section  of  Little  Miami  River  Channel  and  Substrata  on  Line  of  Conduit  Pipe 


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No.  24. 


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ELEVATION  BELOW  CITY  DATUM.  ELEVATION  IN  FEET  ABOVE  CITY  DATUM. 


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ENGINEER  COMMISSION 

ON  EXTENSION  AND  BETTERMENT 
OF  CITY  WATERWORKS, 
Cincinnati,  O. 


No.  25. 


-Af/I  L  OAf  or  FOOT  OOUWO&  J>£*  .  /oo  POUNDS  Of  co/ll 


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